The New Evil Queen
by Citizen-of-Pompeii
Summary: The heroes were too late. They couldn't stop her. Zelena went through her portal and changed the past. Now, she has become the new Evil Queen. The Dark curse has been cast and once again it's up the Savior. It's up to the daughter of Snow White, who's somehow still around. As is the previous Evil Queen: Regina Mills. But why? What could the new Evil Queen be planning?
1. The Dark Curse

**This is my first ever fan fiction, but I had this idea stuck in my head forever. I would love feedback so I can improve this. Even is this isn't a popular fan fiction that people like, I am still going to continue it in case there is that one person who loves it and wants it to be continued. But there is a lot going on in my life so I might not get to updating consistently or that often. One thing I can promise though, is long chapters. Also, I don't own Once Upon a Time. It would be awesome if I did, but I don't. Although I can claim ownership to my idea and words. Please read and review.**

* * *

"Why did you do this?" Snow White asked the Evil Queen as tears ran down her face. A fast fading Prince Charming was cradled in her arms as blood seeped across his white shirt. Snow was on the floor of a nursery. A nursery that was supposed to be for her daughter. A daughter that was taken from her arms right after she gave birth to her. A daughter that might or might not have gotten through the magical wardrobe that would carry her to safety before her husband was overwhelmed by black knights.

"Because this is my happy ending." Answered the queen fiercely as she crouched down to look the princess from her position on the floor. "The child?" the question was directed at the black knights who had entered the room behind her.

"Gone." Said one of the knights. With these words, the queen whipped around to look at him. "It was in the wardrobe, and then it was gone. It's nowhere to be found."

"Where is she?" The queen turned to Snow White as she asked, her voice seething with rage.

"She got away." Snow said it to herself without looking at the queen. Her voice was relieved as she realized her daughter was safe, and that she would come back and save them. She looked up at the queen with a smile. "You're going to lose, I know that now." Her voice held certainty while the queen just looked annoyed. "Good will always win." She said as she looked down and stroked the face of her dying husband.

"We'll see about that." Replied the queen. She laughed as the roof above them started cracking and being torn away. Wind roared around them like a vortex as the curse descended upon them.

"Where are going?" asked a frightened Snow white as her black hair whipped around her face.

"Somewhere horrible." The queen's voice echoed around the room. Glass shattered inward, allowing the curse cloud to seep in. "Absolutely horrible. A place where the only happy ending, will be mine." She spread her arms in her in victory and welcomed the curse. More glass shattered and shards flew everywhere. Time slowed down as everything came crashing in. Snow bent down over her prince as the curse spread over them and waited to be whisked away to the new land. But, she still had hope in her heart, her daughter was out there, and she would save them.

* * *

Heels clicked as the Mayor of Storybrooke walked down the sidewalk. She looked around with a satisfied smile, she had done it. She had won. She had complete control and power. No one else walking along the sidewalk would meet her eyes or even look at her. They kept their heads down and the Mayor could feel the fear radiating off of them. Suddenly, something collided with her. Correction, _someone_ had collided with her. She looked forward to see Snow White. _Mary Margaret Blanchard, _her mind, which had received the new identity of everyone in this new world, corrected her. There was no Snow White in this world.

"Mad-d-am Mayor." Here, Snow's hair was shorter, a pixie cut. And the clothes, well they were certainly different. "I'm s-sor-ry." Stuttered the former princess.

"Maybe you should watch where you're going next time, Miss. Blanchard." Hissed the Mayor. Mary Margaret looked down and nodded. The elementary school teacher moved around the Mayor and quickly headed to the school. As the Mayor watched her leave, her smile grew. _Good will always win, _she scoffed as she recalled the words Snow White said when she found out her daughter had went through the wardrobe. But yet again, that was before she was taken to this land and had everything she loved ripped away from her.

The redhead turned and continued to walk. Her blue eyes surveyed her town as she went. This was her new kingdom but no one here would _ever_ try and take her throne. Mayor Zelena Mills ruled this place, and no so-called _savior_ was ever going to take that from her.


	2. Auntie Zelena

**Yay! Second chapter! Thank you to people who already added this as a favorite and are following this story. Like I said, this is my first ever fan fiction so I was pretty thrilled to learn that people liked it already. Please give feedback because i would like to improve this as much as possible. I apologize for any grammatical errors beforehand. I tried my best to proofread it. I probably have a lot of unnecessary commas. That seems to be a theme of mine. Please enjoy chapter number 2! Again, I don't own Once Upon a Time. And yes, I do use exact words and scenes from the show. But there is a reason for that.**

* * *

The elevator door dings open, revealing a young woman named Emma Swan wearing a pink dress. The dress has the slightest bit of cleavage and ends at about her knees. It outlines her figure nicely and her long blonde hair spills down her back and over her shoulders. She looks around the nice, fancy restaurant, searching for someone. She moves away from the elevator and into the tables where people are dining. Her eyes pass by a familiar face before snapping back. The gentlemen that the face belongs to, stands up to greet her. Emma walks hesitantly toward him with uncertainty etched on her face. "Emma." The man questions. Although it sounds more like statement than a question.

"Ryan?" Emma asks as she shakes his hand. Even though she asked the question, she needed no more confirmation of who her companion was. Ryan has dark hair, is wearing a nice suit, and has a big, pleased smile upon his face. "You look really…"

"Oh, well it is the internet." Ryan says as he moves to pull out the chair for Emma. He starts back toward his seat while saying "Pictures can be…"

"Fake, outdated. Stolen from a Victoria Secret Catalog." Emma finishes for him as she adjusts herself in the chair. They both let out small laughs. Emma hands go up as if she is going to push her hair behind her ears. Instead, they just skim her face and she lets them drop while getting comfortable. She clasps her hands in her lap and looks at the man sitting across from her. "So…"

"So…um, tell me something about yourself Emma."

"Oh…" Emma shifts in her seat and looks down at the table to think. "Uh… Well, today's my birthday." She tells him as she turns her gaze back to him. She doesn't exactly smile, but she seems content.

"And you're spending it with me." Ryan's voice holds some surprise and question. "What about your friends?"

Emma shrugs. "Kind of a loner." She explains.

"And you don't like your family." Ryan guesses.

"No family to like."

"Oh come on, everyone has family."

"Technically yeah. Not everyone knows who they are. Ready to run yet?"

"Oh not a chance. You Emma, are by far, the sexiest, friendless orphan that I have ever met." Emma smiles as he says his sentence and is laughing by the end of it.

"Okay your turn." Emma said once she was done laughing. "No wait let me guess." She cuts in before he even has a chance to say anything. "Um… you are handsome," Ryan raises his eyebrows at her. "Charming,"

"Go on." Ryan nods in encouragement.

"The kind of guy who," she pauses. "and now stop me if I get this wrong. Embezzled from your employer, got arrested, and skipped town before they were able to throw your ass in jail." The former smile that had been on Emma's face fades farther away with each word she says.

Ryan smiles a wide. "What?" he asks her although he clearly knows exactly what she talking about

"The worst part of all this is your wife." Ryan smile drops and he looks down when Emma mentions his wife. "Your wife loves you so much that she bailed you out and how do you repay that loyalty? You're on a date." Ryan avoids eye contact with Emma as she answers her own question.

"Who are you?" Ryan asks and he finally glances down at the table and up at her.

"The chick who put up the rest of the money."

"You're a bail bondsman." Ryan realizes, sitting back.

"Bail bondsperson." Emma corrects. Ryan leans into the table and taps his hands on it. Suddenly, he grabs the underside and flips it. Glass shatters and Emma stands up quickly in an attempt to avoid getting anything on her dress. Emma sighs in defeated as she looks down upon herself and spots the dark stain on her dress. "Really?"

At the entrance to the restaurant, Ryan bursts out the main doors and runs. He runs straight into traffic where he faces the oncoming cars with his hands up. Vehicles beep their horns at him as he stops in-between two lanes in the street. Emma comes out the door; her pace is a fast walk. She calmly walks right into the street where she meets the same treatment that Ryan did as cars beep at her and swerve to avoid hitting her. Ryan reaches his car and unlocks it. He throws himself into the seat and tries to drive away. "Come on." Ryan says as if that will get the car moving. He pushes open the door to look at his back tire. It's weighed down by heavy yellow metal and is keeping him from going anywhere. Emma approaches the car just as Ryan comes to the realization that he isn't going anywhere. He has no way out. "You don't have to do this, okay?" Ryan says to her from the driver's seat. "I can pay you, I got money."

"No you don't. And if you did, you should give it to your wife to take care of your family."

"What the hell do you know about family? Huh?" Ryan asks.

Emma faces hardens and she roughly grabs him and bangs his head against the steering wheel, affectively knocking him out. "Nothing." Emma replies to no one.

* * *

Later, Emma kicks open the door to her apartment while cradling a bag in her elbow. Bracing her hand on the wall, Emma steps out of her tall, black heels. She goes to the counter of her apartment and opens the bag. A little vanilla cupcake with vanilla icing is taken out and sits on the counter and Emma sticks a star candle in it. A match is struck and the candle wick is lighted. Emma blows it out and bends to fold her arms on the counter and rest her chin on top of them. "Another banner year." She says quietly to herself. Then, she closes her eyes tightly and after a few seconds, and blows out the candle. Emma keeps her eyes closed until she hears her doorbell ring. She goes to it and opens it. She searches for the person who rang the doorbell but she doesn't see anyone. Until she looks lower. "Uh… can I help you?"

"Are you Emma Swan?" asks a young boy. He has on a buttoned black coat with a red and gray striped scarf around his neck. He carries a backpack and both his eyes and hair are brown.

"Yeah, who are you?" she asks really, really confused as to how a this young boy who she has never seen before, knows her name.

"My name's Henry. I'm your son."

Emma's frown deepens and her confusion multiplies. Henry ducks under Emma's arm on the door frame and enters her apartment. "Whoa hey, kid. Kid. Kid." She says following into her apartment as the door shuts behind her. "I don't have a son. Where are your parents?"

Henry walks around to a chair at her table and looks at her. "Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption?" Emma face changes. "That was me." Henry states.

"Give me a minute." Emma heads into her bathroom. She is panicked and freaking out and so many other emotions she cannot express.

"Hey do you have any juice?" Henry calls through the doorway. "Never mind, found some." Emma looks to the door in fear. Her son. Her son. No, no, no. This can't be happening. She gave him away. It was a _closed _adoption; he shouldn't know she's his mother. Finally, Emma comes out with a neutral expression but wariness in her eyes, to see Henry drinking juice directly from the container. "You know, we should probably get going." Henry tells her.

"Going where?" Emma asks as she crosses her arms.

"I want you to come home with me."

Emma's expression holds absolute disbelief "Okay kid, I'm calling the cops." Emma says heading for the phone.

"Then I'll tell them you kidnapped me." Emma turns around at those words, holding the buzzing phone while it waits for a number to be dialed.

"And they'll believe you cause I'm your birth mother." Emma says. Tapping a button on the phone, the buzzing cuts off.

"Yep."

"You're not gonna do that." Emma says while evaluating him.

"Try me." Henry challenges.

"You're pretty good." Emma admits. "But here's the thing- there's not a lot I'm great at in life. But I have one skill. Let's call it a superpower. I can tell when anyone is lying and you kid, are." The buzzing on the phone picks up again as she hits a button and prepares to call the cops.

"Wait." Henry says after Emma dialed two numbers. "Please don't call the cops. Please." Emma stops and looks at him. "Come home with me."

"Where's home?"

"Storybrooke, Maine."

Emma raises her eyebrows. "Storybrooke? Seriously?"

"Mm-hmm." Henry gives a small nod. His eyes are locked onto his birth mother's and he is dead serious.

"Alrighty then. Let's get you back to Storybrooke."

* * *

Emma drives along the road in her small yellow car with Henry in the passenger seat. She had changed into more comfortable clothes and grabbed her favorite jacket. A red leather one. She glances at Henry and then back to the road. She's still trying to come to grips with the fact that Henry is the son she gave up ten years ago. "I'm hungry. Can we stop somewhere?" asks Henry, shattering the quiet.

"This is not a road trip, we're not stopping for snacks."

"Why not?"

"Quit complaining kid. Remember I could have put your butt on a bus. Still could."

"You know I have a name? It's Henry." As he says it he opens a book. The cover is brown and the book is pretty thick.

"What's that?" Emma asks him when the book catches her eye. She can see illustrations on the pages and her eyes go to the cover for the title. Once Upon a Time.

"I'm not sure you're ready." Henry says as he observes the illustration.

Emma looks at the book again. "Ready for some fairytales?"

"They're not fairytales. They're true. Every story in this book actually happened."

"Of course they did." Emma said. So not only did the son that she gave up ten years ago come to take her to his home. Now it turns out he's crazy. He believes fairytales are real. Wow, she really needs to get him to his home and drive away as fast as she can.

"Use your superpower. See if I'm lying." Henry prompts her, trying to convince her.

"Just because you believe something doesn't make it true." She says obviously uncomfortable when she can't detect a lie.

"That's exactly what makes it true. You should know more than anyone."

"Why's that?"

"Because you're in this book."

Emma turns to stare at Henry before she snaps her eyes back to the road. "Oh kid, you got problems."

"Yep, and you're gonna fix them." Emma looks at him once again as Henry gets lost in his book of supposedly real fairytales.

A while later, Emma and Henry drive past the sign that so warmly welcomes them to Stroybrooke. _At least it's real, _thinks Emma. She starts driving through the small town, "Okay kid, how about an address?"

"Forty-four Not Telling You Street."

The yellow car abruptly comes to a stop in the middle of the road after Henry's refusal. Emma steps out into the street and her boot splashes into a puddle. Just as she slams her door, sparks fly from the power lines. Henry opens his door and steps out as well. "Look, it's been a long night. And It's almost… 8:15?" Emma questions as she reads the big clock on the clock tower in the center of the town.

"That clock hasn't move my whole life. Time's frozen here." Henry tells Emma.

"Excuse me?"

"The Evil Queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here."

Emma is leaning up against her car with her arms crossed trying to comprehend Henry's crazy reality. "Okay, the Evil Queen sent a bunch of fairytale characters here?"

"Yeah and now they're trapped."

"Frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine? That's what you're going with?"

"It's true."

"Then why doesn't everyone just leave?" Emma argues.

"They can't. If they try, bad things happen." Emma stares down at Henry.

"Henry!" A voice calls. Both mother and son turn toward the voice to see a man walking toward them. He has red hair, wears glasses, is holding an umbrella, and is walking a Dalmatian dog. "What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" He asks the ten-year-old.

"I'm fine, Archie." Henry reassures the man as he reaches out to pet the dog.

"Who's this?" Archie ask, indicating to Emma.

"Just someone trying to give him a ride home." Emma says.

"She's my mom Archie." Henry corrects.

"Oh, I see." Archie says.

"You know where he lives?" Emma asks.

"Uh yeah, sure, just ah right up on Mifflin Street. The Mayor's house is the biggest one on the block." Archie replies while gesturing in a direction where Henry's house is probably located. Henry looks down when Archie hands out this piece of information.

Now Emma is ticked off. "You're the Mayor's kid?"

"No." Henry says. "But I may or may not be related to her."

"Hey, where were you today, Henry? Because you missed your session." Archie cuts in.

"Oh, uh, I forgot to tell you. I went on a field trip."

Archie glances at Emma, knowing that Henry had went to go retrieve her. He goes down on one knee so he is lower than Henry and can look him in the eye. "Henry. What did I tell you about lying? Giving in to one's dark side never accomplishes anything."

"Oookay." Emma interrupts once he's done talking. "Well, I should really be getting him home."

"Yeah sure." Agrees Archie, pushing himself off the ground to his normal height. "Well, listen. Um… have a good night and uh, you be good Henry." Emma musters a smile for the kind man and then Archie walks away.

The smile melts off Emma's face the second Archie faces away from her. "So that's your shrink?" Emma asks, looking for confirmation.

"I'm not crazy." Henry says, and at the same time, confirming that the man, Archie, was indeed his shrink.

"Didn't say that. He just, he doesn't seem cursed to me. Maybe he's just trying to help you."

"He's the one who needs help. Because he doesn't know."

"That he's a fairytale character?" Emma asks disbelievingly.

"None of them do. They don't remember who they are."

"Convenient. Alright, I'll play." Emma opens the car door. "Who's he supposed to be?"

"Jiminy Cricket." Henry calls from the other side of the car.

"Right, the lying thing. I thought your nose grew a little bit."

"I'm not Pinocchio!" Henry exclaims from inside the car.

"Course you're not. Cause that would be ridiculous." Emma states as she slides into the driver's side of the car.

* * *

Emma and Henry walk toward the biggest house on the block, the Mayor's house. "I can't believe you're the Mayor's kid."

"I'm not. She's my Aunt."

"Still." Emma says opening the black gate at the front of the property. Emma and Henry walk along a pathway ringed by two tall, green hedges.

"Please don't make me go back there." Henry pleads.

"I have to. I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you."

"Probably and I love them but I can't stand to see them suffer."

"Suffer? Explain."

"They aren't supposed to be together."

"Not supposed to be together?" questions Emma.

"Yeah, my mom's soul mate is someone else. It's the person she was ripped from when the curse struck."

"Soul mate? Really?" Emma raises her eyebrows.

"Yeah, soul mate."

"Fine. Guess I shouldn't be surprised with the whole fairytale thing you've got going on. Who is your mom's soul mate?"

"Robin Hood."

"So…, your mother is Maid Marian?"

"No." Henry shakes his head.

"But you said-"

"The stories have it wrong." Henry says, urgently trying to explain. "He was never meant to be with her."

"Henry?" The big door flings open to reveal a woman and a man standing behind her. The woman is wearing an official looking outfit with a nice gray dress and heels. Her hair is a very dark, dark brown. So dark that it's almost black. The tips of her short hair just brush her shoulders. Emma can't be certain, but her eyes look dark. She runs toward Henry while saying his name again. Her heels click and her voice is filled with relief as she throws her arms around Henry. A few tears escape from her eyes as she clutches Henry tight. The man follows behind her. He is dressed in some official looking clothes as well and she can see his brown hair and stubble. Again, she can't be certain of his eye color, but they look to be light. Blue maybe? He comes up right behind the woman and embraces both of them. The woman breaks away first and pulls back to look at Henry. "Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?" For the first time, the woman seems to notice Emma.

"I found my mom. My other one. My birth mom. She's going to save us mom." Henry tells her proudly. The woman seems absolutely stunned and her jaw drops open.

"You're Henry's birth mother?" The man asks with an Irish accent. He puts his hands on his belt and the edges of his black leather jacket are brushed out of the way in the process. Emma sees a gold star badge clipped to his shirt. Wonderful. So Henry was the Mayor's niece and the Sheriff's son.

"Hi." Emma gives an apologetic smile.

"Henry?" A new female voice with a British accent asks. Emma looks toward the still open door of the Mayor's house to see someone standing in the doorway. She wears a black jacket with an orange shirt underneath and a sparkling emerald brooch attached to the collar. She has on a black pencil skirt and heels. Her curly/wavy red hair is clipped back into a half-ponytail and the overhead lights glint of her blue eyes. Right away, Emma doesn't like this woman who she guesses is the Mayor. The Mayor walkes towards them slowly. "Henry, is that you? Where were you?" Emma waits for Henry to speak up but he doesn't. Instead, the man does.

"Apparently he went out to find his birth mother."

"His birth mother?" the Mayor's cold, ice blue eyes rest on her. "Are you certain?"

"That's what he said, and I doubt he'd find her and bring her back if he wasn't certain she was his birth mother."

"Well, this is interesting." The Mayor continues walking until she is right in front of Emma. She sticks her hand out. "Mayor Zelena Mills, nice to meet you."

"Emma. Likewise." She says with a smile, grasping her hand and shaking it.

"I think we all have a lot to talk about." Zelena states, looking around. "How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?" Zelena asks addressing Emma.

"Got anything stronger?"

"I'll go take Henry home, make sure he's alright." The man says. He comes up to Emma and shakes her hand "I'm Graham by the way. Graham Humbert." Emma shakes his hand as well. "Come on Henry." Henry, who ever since Zelena came out has been quiet, obeys Graham and hurries over to him. Graham puts a hand on his back and they make their way to the house on the other side of the street. Which just so happens to be the second largest house on the block.

"We should head inside." Zelena says. She turns and goes to the other woman who is still standing in the exact same way ever since Henry said he went to get his birth mom. "Come on sister, let's head inside." She gently urges. Snapping out of her haze, the other woman nods and lets Zelena guide her inside the house. Emma follows close behind and into the large house. Zelena leaves her sister near the doorway to fix drinks for the three of them. Once she's finished, she hands one to Emma and tries to give one to her sister. Her sister shakes her no at the offer, so Zelena takes that one for herself. "Follow me." She says and leads them into a room and closes the door. Bookshelves line the wall and a fire dances in the stone fireplace. Emma seats herself on a comfy white couch and sets her drink down on a long wooden table by a white bowl filled with green apples. Zelena's sister seats herself opposite Emma and Zelena sinks down next to her sister. Zelena leans back and crosses her legs while taking a sip of her drink. "So…."

"Oh, yes. I'm Adrianna by the way." Zelena's sister introduces herself and reaches across the table to shake hands with Emma. "So, you're Henry's birth mother?"

"Yeah. How did he find me?"

"I have no idea." Adrianna puzzles over the idea. "When I adopted him, he was only three weeks old. Records were sealed. I was told the birth mother didn't want to have any contact."

"Then you were told right."

"What about the father?" Zelena asks.

"There was one. But he doesn't even know."

Zelena nods satisfied. Adrianna steals the drink from Zelena's hand and takes a sip before handing it back. Zelena sighs, "I offered you one."

Adrianna ignores her. "I'm so sorry he interrupted your life."

"Hey, don't worry about it. He's going through a rough time, it happens."

Tears gather in Adrianna's eyes. "I'm trying really hard to be there for him." She says in a choked voice. "But it isn't always easy. I run a daycare and sometimes the parents have odd working hours… and… and I just can't turn them down, you know? Someone has to care for the child and I can't just let a kid that young be home alone. Or if a child needs a place to stay before they are sent to a home or put up for adoption, I'm the one they ask. And Graham is the sheriff and he doesn't have a deputy and has to work nights. And… and things have been rough between Graham and I. I don't… I don't even know when it started, but we got into fights. Fights about the most ridiculous things. We decided to take a break and he rented a room at Granny's and it's just been hard on him."

"Wow." Emma sits back to examine the woman in front of her. "And you have the storybook thing on top of that."

"Storybook thing?" Adrianna asks.

"You mean you don't know?" when Adrianna looks at her with a clueless expression, she pushes on. "He thinks that everyone in this town is a fairytale character."

"What? I… I knew about the book. He loves that thing but I never thought that…" Adrianna puts her head in her hands. Zelena rubs her back to comfort her.

"It's probably just his way of coping with everything that's going on in his life." Zelena tries to assure her. "He's already seeing Dr. Hopper, so he can just address that as well." Adrianna silently nods.

"I'm so sorry about all of this." Emma says to the sisters. "I really have to be heading back though."

"Of course." Zelena gets up and extends her hand again. "I… we, really are sorry about Henry dragging you up here."

"Hey, it's just one night. I'll be back by morning." Emma shakes Zelena hand. "Adrianna," Adrianna looks up at Emma and Emma can see she's trying very very hard not to cry. "Henry loves you. He told me. He loves both you and Graham very much. You're trying and I couldn't be happier that Henry ended up with you. He's in good hands." Adrianna gives her a watery smile.

"Thank you Emma…"

"Swan."

"Thank you Miss. Swan." Finishes Adrianna. Emma nods and opens the door. Zelena gets up and leads her to the door.

"Have a wonderful rest of the night Miss. Swan." She says.

"You too." As Emma heads down the walkway to her car, she looks over at Adrianna's house. Henry is peeking out a window on the second story of the house. When he sees Emma spots him, he closes the curtain and turns off the light. Emma sighs and gets into her car as it starts to rain and the wind picks up. As she is driving out of town, she spots something in her peripheral. "Sneaky bastard." Emma whispers quietly to herself when she notices it's Henry's storybook. When she looks back up at the road, Emma sees a wolf right in her path. She twists the wheel violently and swerves to avoid hitting the animal. As a result, Emma crashes into the Storybrooke entrance and exit sign. On impact, Emma is knocked unconscious. The wolf that caused her to crash howls into the night.

* * *

**What do you think? So anyway, I used exact scenes and words from the show to give the illusion of everything being the same. But then, I branch off. Just to clear some things up that you may be confused about, Adrianna is Regina's Storybrooke alias. Since Regina didn't cast the curse, she's not the Mayor and she gets a fake life and memories just like everyone else. Graham and Adrianna (Regina) are married and they are Henry's parents. Also, Zelena is the Evil Queen. So, I have it that Zelena succeeded in traveling back in time and she managed to change her past. So now, she is the Evil Queen instead of Regina. Yes, both Snow and Regina are alive. When Zelena wanted to go back in time, it was to kill Snow's mother which would then ensure Cora would marry Leopold. But, it also means that Snow, Emma, and Henry wouldn't exist. She also wanted to make sure Regina was never born. Guess what? She changed her mind. She wanted to make them suffer so she decided to find a way to keep them both alive. I don't have any flashbacks to the Enchanted Forest, but I will, don't worry. Some stories are going to change and other's will not. I probably won't do any flashbacks with the unchanged stories. Or maybe i will. I haven't completely decided yet. Please read and review!**


	3. The Seaside Castle

**Okay guys, it has been soooooo long since I last updated (holy cow! my last update was in February! AHHHH!) and I am so so so so sorry. Life has been hectic for me but I am doing my best to find more time to continue this. This chapter has some flashbacks in it, but again, they are ones that you've all seen before from the actual show. Except the very last flashback-that has a bit of a twist at the end. Thank you to everyone who has made my story a favorite and followed this story, you guys are amazing and I love you! Again, sorry for all the mistakes, they are completely my fault and I obviously need to look closer at things. I don't own Once Upon a Time or any of the characters. **

**Also guys, I got my first ever review! Yay! This Review was from DracoWombat- thank you so much! I hope that this chapter answers some of the questions you presented to me! (At the end of the chapter, I will have a note for you DracoWombat- look out for it) **

**Please enjoy this chapter and read and review! (Also just incase you get confused: the italics are for the though of the character. Usually on whichever character spoke or whichever character is being focused on at the time)**

* * *

Emma Swan's eyes snap open as she jerks awake. _Where am I? _ Emma thinks when she realizes she is not in her apartment in Boston. Hearing whistling, she turns her head and sees a short, bald man with a beard. And she also sees the bars of a jail cell. _What? A jail cell?_ The previous night comes crashing down on her. Henry, Archie, Adrianna, Graham, and Zelena. Driving and seeing Henry's book in the passenger seat, the wolf in the road, and crashing into the sign. "What are you lookin' at, sister?" The man in the cell next to her asks as he stops whistling.

"Hey, Leroy! Manners. We have a guest. So you are, uh, Henry's birth mother? How lovely for him to have you back in his life," Another man who had been repairing a cabinet in the sheriff station says. As he's talking, Emma stands up and walks toward the prison bars. The man is older with a white beard and a mostly bald head.

"Actually, I was just dropping him off," The blonde corrects. Feeling a bit of pain in her head, Emma raises her hand to her forehead.

The other man in the cell, Leroy, as the older one had called him, makes a noise. "Don't blame ya. They're all brats, who needs 'em?" At the moment, Emma has to agree with Leroy. Well, maybe not the brat part, Henry isn't a brat. He's just possibly crazy because he believes fairy tale characters are real.

The older man speaks after Leroy. "Well I'd give anything for one. My wife and I, we tried for many years, but, it was not meant to be," Emma regards the man with sympathy. She definitely was NOT trying to get Henry when she got pregnant, and this poor man and his wife, who had been trying, had no child. The man is gazing forlornly into space, probably thinking about a child he would never have.

"Well cry me a river," Leroy replies while glaring at the man.

"Leroy," Emma jumps at the familiar accented voice. Sheriff Graham enters the room and approaches Leroy's cell. A sense of relief crashes over Emma like a powerful ocean wave. Graham is someone she just met last night, and briefly too. But, he is someone she knows. More importantly, someone who can get her out of here because Emma really wants to go back to Boston. "If I'm going to let you out, you need to behave. Put on a smile and stay out of trouble," the sheriff orders as he unlocks Leroy's cell. Leroy pushes himself off of the prison bed and over to the freedom he's being offered. He stops at the door to the cell and gives Graham an obviously sarcastic smile. Emma slides her arms through the prison bars, and rests her face against them as well.

"Seriously?" Emma asks Graham. She might be relieved to see him because he can get her out of here, but he's probably the one who stuck her in here in the first place. Graham turns toward her with an apologetic expression on his handsome face.

"Turns out Zelena's drinks are a bit stronger than we thought."

"I wasn't drunk. There was a wolf standing in the middle of the road."

"A wolf," Graham nods "right."

"Graham!" A tear-choked voice calls out. Adrianna dashes into the office holding her heels in her hand while sliding around on the tile because of the stockings on her feet. Red, puffy eyes and tears streaks adorn her face. "Henry's run away again. He…" Adrianna abruptly cuts off when she sees Emma behind bars. "Miss. Swan? What…what's going on? What are you doing here? Why are you…?" She trails off and wildly gestures at the jail cell with her arms.

"She crashed into the sign while on her way to leave town," Graham tells her.

Adrianna jumps to the same conclusion her husband did. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry. We should not have given you a drink before you started driving."

"I wasn't drunk," Emma whispers under her breath irritably.

"So you've been here all night?" Adrianna questions as she walks closer to Emma and her husband. "You haven't seen Henry? He hasn't come to you?"

"Here all night," she confirms.

"You?" Adrianna hopefully asks Graham.

"I would have told you."

"Did you try his friends?" Emma asks.

"He-he," Adrianna tries speaking but the tears are now streaming down her face again.

"He doesn't really have any friends. He's kind of a loner," Grahams says for her while drawing her into his arms.

"Every kid had friends," Emma states, more for herself than the couple standing in front of her. "Did you check his computer? If he's close to someone, he'd be e-mailing them."

"How do you know this?" Graham inquires.

"Finding people is what I do. Here's an idea, you let me out and I'll help you find him."

* * *

"Smart kid – cleared his inbox. I'm smart too. A little hard disk recovery utility I like to use…" Emma, Graham, and Adrianna are in Henry's room while Emma looks through Henry's e-mail.

"I'm a bit more old fashioned in my techniques. Pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, that sort of thing," Graham says, kneeling beside Emma working on Henry's computer.

"You're on salary. I get paid for delivery. Pounding the pavement is not a luxury that I get. Huh. His receipt for a website – . It's expensive. He has a credit card?"

"He's ten," Adrianna says from the doorway of her son's room. If her voice hadn't still been thick and choked by tears, the statement would have had a small bite to it. _But the woman is going through a very hard time _Emma thinks.

"Well, he used one. Let's pull up a transaction record. Mary Margaret Blanchard… Who's Mary Margaret Blanchard?"

"Henry's teacher," Adrianna says. _His teacher…. Why in the world would his teacher give her credit card to one of her ten year-old students so that he could find his birth mother? _It seems as if things in this little town just aren't adding up, and Emma Swan can't figure out why.

* * *

A young woman walks among desks full of young students painting bird houses. She has black hair in a pixie cut, and is gently holding a bluebird in her pale hands. "As we build our bird houses, remember – what you're making is a home, not a cage. The bird is free and will do what it will. This is for them, not us. They're loyal creatures. If you love them and they love you, they will always find you." The students turn toward her as she makes her way to the window. Leaning out, the bluebird, which is now perched on her finger, flies away to a blue bird house nestled in some greenery outside the class room. The kids make a noise of awe as they watch her. The teacher turns back toward her students after she sets the bluebird free and finishes telling her students the lesson. A bell rings, effectively cutting through the silence and shaking the teacher out of the deep thought she fell into. "We'll pick this up after recess. No running!" She calls to the kids. A little girl walks up the teacher and hands her a pear. "Why thank you!"

As the last of the children file out of the classroom, Adrianna, Graham, and Emma enter. "Mrs. Mills, Mr. Humbert, what are you doing here?" the teacher asks when she sees the sheriff and his wife enter. She doesn't notice the blonde woman in the red leather jacket standing by the door of her classroom. As Adrianna and Graham get closer, Mary Margaret Blanchard can clearly see the signs of sadness and distress on Adrianna's face.

"Henry, where is he?" Graham asks, straight to the point.

"I assumed he was home sick with you," Mary Margaret says.

"Unfortunately no or we wouldn't be here. On a different note, did you give him your credit card so he can find her?" Graham gestures at Emma with his head.

For the first time, Mary Margaret realizes that Adrianna and Graham aren't alone. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm his… I'm his…" Emma struggles as she tries to say the words birth mother.

"Birth mother," Graham clarifies.

"You don't know anything about this do you?" whispered Adrianna.

"No, unfortunately not." Mary Margaret slings her black purse off her shoulder and onto the students' desks. Pulling out a wallet, she looks inside only to discover that her credit card is missing. She tilts it so that her audience may see. "Clever boy… I should never have given him that book."

"Book?" asks Graham with confusion.

Adrianna lays a hand on his arm. "I'll have to explain that later." The dark haired beauty turns to Mary Margaret and addresses her. "And actually I want to thank you for giving him that book. It's opened a whole new world for him and it's opened something inside him. No it's probably not healthy that he believes we're all from fairytales, but…" she trials off.

"He does seem more bright eyed."

"Thank you, Miss. Blanchard," Graham speaks up after a moment of silence.

"I really didn't do anything."

"Now we know that Henry took your credit card, that you had no idea about this whole thing. We know Henry isn't here. And according to my gorgeous wife, you've helped my son immensely by giving him this book I keep hearing about."

"Well…"

"Thank you. But we really should go look for our son."

"Of course. I hope you find him soon," Mary Margaret waves to them on their way out. Adrianna bumps into a stack of books and knocks them off the desk.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry," She exclaims while kneeling on the ground.

Hurrying over, Mary Margaret tells her, "Don't worry about it, I got it. Go find Henry."

"Thank you." the young woman can see the gratitude displayed clearly in Adrianna's chocolate brown eyes. Adrianna straightens up and hurries off with Graham.

"Sorry to bother you," Emma apologizes as she bends to help Mary Margaret pick up the books.

"No it's…it's okay. I'm afraid this is partially my fault," Mary Margaret admits as she gathers the books in her arms. She can't seem to stop looking at Emma and is unable to shake a peculiar feeling that has overtaken her body. This feeling, she can't place it or describe it, but there's just something about this young blonde woman in the red leather jacket.

"How's the book supposed to help?"

"What do you think stories are for? These stories are classics. There's a reason we all know them. They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense. See, Henry hasn't had the easiest life," Mary Margaret explains as she places the textbooks from the floor in an uneven pile on the nearest desk. She starts heading into the hallway of the elementary school, and Emma follows close behind.

"Yeah, I noticed. His parents started fighting, and now are temporarily separated. That would be tough."

"No, it's more than his parents. He's like any adopted child. He wrestles with that most basic question they all inevitably face – why would anyone give me away?" As if suddenly realizing what she just said and to whom she said it to, Mary Margaret's eyes widen and she stops to face Emma. "…I am so sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean in any way to judge you," Mary Margaret says while shaking her head slightly.

"It's okay," Emma reassures her, and surprisingly enough, she realizes that it really is okay. After all, she asked the same question about her parents in her head every day in the foster system. Trying to understand why your parents would give you away, trying to make sense of your world and where you came from, she gets that.

"Look, I gave the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have," Mary Margaret says, cutting in on Emma's thoughts. Emma looks at her, her eyes questioning. "Hope," Mary Margaret explains. "Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing."

"You know where he is, don't you?"

"You might want to check his castle."

* * *

(In Storybrooke, in another lifetime)

"There, dig." Commands a redhead. The Dark One obeys under the power of the dagger that can control him and continues to carve out more earth from the ground. The pair are in an old barn in Storybrooke. "You think I'll fail," says the Wicked Witch as she observes Rumpelstiltskin.

"I think destiny is destiny," he corrects.

Zelena laughs as she walks over to a plate resting on the ground, connected to the design dug in the dirt. "You're wrong," she tells him as she sets a replica of a brain made of gold on the plate. "I can change it. And once I fix the past, my mother will keep me, Regina will never have been born, and I'll get everything she ever had," Next, Zelena goes over and picks up her half-sister, Regina's, darkened heart and sets it on a plate as well. "With the right ingredients, I can do anything," she smiles as she thinks about the new life she can embrace once she corrects what was wronged all those years ago.

"Whether it works or not is irrelevant, dearie." Rumple says as he still digs, and Zelena picks up the hilt of a sword that represents courage and places it on the third large, golden plate. "Because no matter what you change of your past, one thing shall remain the same: _who you are_," Zelena lets out a small laugh. "And that is a fate, you can never escape."

"We shall see." Zelena says as she holds up a compass and admires her work.

* * *

(Storybrooke, present time)

_His castle,_ Emma thinks, _Of course he would have a castle_. Apparently, his 'castle', is really a playground with spire-like objects resting on top of the wood planks that jut up from the main structure. A slide slopes downward from off to the side. The whole thing is near the water, the sea, and Emma feels the moistness gathering on her skin as a result of the wind. A car is already parked near Henry's 'castle', and someone is standing a few feet in front of it, watching Henry. Deep, dark, short brown hair is being tossed around by the small breeze and the woman shivers a bit, even in her black, buttoned trench coat. "Adrianna?" Emma asks as she nears the woman. Adrianna has her black heels back on her feet and her arms crossed in front of her as she observes her son.

"It's the first place we should have looked," sighs Adrianna.

"Why are you still standing here? Why don't you go to him?"

"Henry and I have a…a… well a sort of understanding about his castle. That's his place, even Graham and I won't bother him here," Adrianna explains sadly. "Maybe you could go talk to him?"

"Me?" Emma asks startled. She had walked up beside Adrianna and stood beside her, mimicking her watchful position.

"He's taken quite a shine to you."

"I'll see what I can do," says Emma as she studies the other woman's face. Longing, pure longing to go to her son and envelope him in her arms, that is the expression on Adrianna's face. It's staggering to Emma, she has never known that kind of love, all she ever was to her foster families was a meal-ticket until they would decide to send her back. But Henry, he got everything she didn't. He got his best chance. Inhaling a deep breath to steady herself and her emotions, Emma takes the first step toward her son. Climbing up onto his 'castle', she hands him his book that she had tucked under her arm. "You left this in my car," Henry takes the boom from Emma, but says nothing. Emma follows his line of sight to the clock tower and examines it for a few moments. "Still hasn't moved, huh?"

"I was hoping that when I brought you back, things would change here. That the final battle would begin."

"I'm not fighting any battles, kid."

"Yes, you are. Because it's your destiny. You're going to bring back the happy endings," Henry insisted.

"Can you cut it with the book crap?" Emma asked him, maybe a little too harshly.

"You don't have to be hostile. I know you like me – I can tell. You're just pushing me away because I make you feel guilty. It's okay. I know why you gave me away." Emma looks at Henry, his words hitting a deep point inside her. He did make her feel guilty. "You wanted to give me my best chance." Emma sucks in a breath, his words deeply affecting her. That was _exactly_ why she gave him away. Looking away, Emma fights tears.

"How do you know that?"

"Because it's the same reason Snow White gave you away."

"Listen to me, kid." Emma turns to look Henry in the eyes, trying to get her point across with no chance of misunderstanding. "I'm not in any book. I'm a real person. And I'm no savior. You were right about one thing, though. I wanted you to have your best chance. But it's not with me." Emma states forlornly. After a pause she glances up and sees Adrianna in the distance. "Come on, let's go." Pushing herself of the wood, so springs up.

"Please don't take me back there!" Henry begs as he braces himself on the wood of his 'castle', he stands on top of it. Clomping down the stairs by the steps, he meets Emma on the same level of ground.

"Come on, I have to get you back to your parents," Emma points our Adrianna waiting by the car. "See? Your mom's waiting for you?"

"You don't know what it's like there! My life sucks! No one believes me and my parents are separated even though they should never have been together anyway. Aunt Zelena's terrible and Mom forces me to spend time with her!"

"Oh, you want to know what sucking is?" Emma asked. As she continued, her voice thickened as tears shined in her eyes. "Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway. My parents didn't even bother to drop me off at a hospital. I ended up in the foster system and I had a family until I was three, but then they had their own so then they sent me back," Emma takes a deep breath and tries her best to reign in her emotions. Being on her own, it was easier to push all these feelings and memories down, pretend like they were someone else's history. But that was impossible to do here, with him. Bending down so she can be closer to his height, Emma tells Henry, "Look, your mom and dad are trying their best. I know it's hard and I know sometimes you think they might not love you that they might not believe you, but at least they want you," Emma finishes.

"Your parents didn't leave you on the side of a freeway. That's just where you came through."

"What?" Emma asks him, genuinely confused.

"The wardrobe. When you went through the wardrobe you appeared in the street. Your parents were trying to save you from the curse."

"Sure they were," Emma lets out a small laugh, with evidence of tears still in her voice. "Come on, Henry," Emma gestures with her head to Adrianna as a tears leaks it way down his face.

* * *

(In a past lifetime in Storybrooke)

Zelena grips the dagger tightly in her hand as she strides down the street with Rumpelstiltskin in tow. Everything was falling perfectly into place, and soon enough, she would have a whole new life, the life she deserved. All that was left was to collect the baby of Snow White and Prince Charming, and that was well on its way. As they approached the hospital, two munchkins stood outside. _Did they put those underlings on guard duty?_ Zelena thought incredulously.

"Incoming!" one of them ran screaming into the hospital to alert the others while the other followed close behind. Zelena approached with determination, nothing was getting in the way of her and that baby. Although, Zelena had hopes that she would at least be amused by whom they set up to stop her. She had to say she was not disappointed. The first line of defense was the idiot thief, who her monkeys reported had been kissing Regina. She will forever wonder what that man saw in her. Behind him, was some of what he called his 'Merry Men', about three of them. She snorted, _if you are going to try and stop me_, she thinks, _at least bring all the soldiers_. Blowing the doors open with magic, Robin Hood, with a crossbow lowered at her, shouted back to his men, "Aim true for Little John!" With a wave of her hand, those wannabes were taken care of. They thudded to the ground without a single arrow flying her way.

Striding past the idiot archers and into a hallway, Zelena spots Belle walking toward them. This is really precious, sending the bookworm as their second line of defense? What did they think she would do? Recite facts until Zelena fell asleep from boredom? She isn't exactly geared up for battle wearing her blouse, skirt, and heels "Oh, didn't you learn your lesson the last time?" Zelena asks the brunette as she brandishes the dagger. "This is more powerful than your _true love_."

"I refuse to believe that," Belle says. _Did they really think she could get through to Rumple? Ridiculous. _Zelena thought with a smile.

"Belle, go," begs Rumpelstiltskin as they get closer to his darling lover.

"Listen to him dear," Zelena advises as she starts moving around Belle.

Turning to her, Belle said "No. You've put him through enough pain!"

"And I'm not nearly done!" Zelena growls in her ear viciously. Another wave of the dagger and then she moves on toward the real prize, toward the final piece of the puzzle. Behind her, Zelena heard a gasp as Belle fell toward the ground when the magic took over. Zelena turns around and starts walking backward to address Rumple. It was pathetic really, Zelena looking back to see Rumple holding the weak woman in his arms. "Your taste in women really has gone downhill." Zelena laughs as he lowers the bookworm to ground with a stricken look on his face. "Leave her, dearie. Chop, chop." Zelena calls behind her, much farther ahead. Rumpelstiltskin picks himself up and follows the Wicked Witch, unable to resist the hold the dagger has over him.

In the hallway that Snow is giving birth, Regina, Henry, and Archie Hopper all stand around. "Henry," Regina says as she looks down the hallway, the place she knows her wicked sister will be coming from. Following her line of sight, Henry looks down the same hallway as well. He didn't fully understand what was going on; the spell that had been put on his memory had just recently been lifted and everything had been such a whirlwind of events that no one had much time to explain. All he knew was that there was a wicked witch, _the _Wicked Witch, in town, she was one of his mom's sister, and she wants his Grandma's baby. "go with Dr. Hopper," Regina directs, looking at her son as she holds his hand in her own. So far, Regina has failed to protect the town against her sister. She feels that failure weighing down heavily on her shoulders. Henry already lost his father because she wasn't enough to beat Zelena, Henry himself had almost lost his life. If it wasn't for Emma and her light magic, Henry might be lying in a casket like his father. Now, it was her job to protect the newest member of the Charming family from her own family. "Find a closet and lock yourselves inside. You don't want to see this, it won't be pretty," When she's finished, Regina takes the hand that was holding Henry's and pushes it behind her toward Dr. Hopper. She positions herself in front of her son and the therapist as they make a getaway.

"No, it won't," Zelena says as she rounds the corner.

"Take another step and I'll roast you," Regina threatens.

"Please," Zelena scoffs. Taking action, Regina raises her hand hastily to perform magic. She doesn't get the chance before Zelena waves the dagger again and Regina is blown back. She hits the wall of the hospital as the wall of light magic the Savior put up to defend her baby brother flashes. Zelena gazes down upon her sister in victory. _I was always stronger than you, little sis._ Zelena turns her head to look at the Dark One, at Regina's teacher, at the man who turned her down because she wasn't enough for him. She smiles to let him know she won, that she is going to be enough. The wails of Snow White giving birth can be heard I the room next to the redhead and senses how close the baby is. The sweet taste of victory lingers on her tongue. _Don't get to confident just yet, _she warns herself, _you haven't won just yet. _Who is she kidding? She can beat these fools any day, the Dark One is on her side, and the Savior has no magic. Zelena steps over her sister's unconscious body, clad in a red dress, to reach the doors where her final ingredient was waiting for her. Inside the room, Zelena could hear the crying of a baby and the elated voice of Prince Charming as he announced to his wife that their child was a boy. _Well, sadly, you won't get much time with your son._ Zelena thinks with a smirk. Giving herself a few minutes to reign her excitement, Zelena makes her moves and bursts in through the dark green door. Once she's inside the room, she waves her dagger to take care of the doctor before he gets any ideas about interfering. Instantly, her eyes land on the prize, the tiny thing is wrapped up in plush, yellow blankets while in his mother's arms. "Charming family," Zelena states and Snow White's face contorts into one of fear. "shame I have to break it up," Acting fast, Charming turns and grabs a sheathed sword and is partway through pulling it out before Zelena uses her magic to immobilize him. A green aura glows around his frozen body and Zelena's attention switches to the mother. Suddenly, Snow White is cradling air, while her child rests in the arms of the Wicked Witch.

"No! No, no, no, no!" Snow shouts before Zelena immobilizes her like she did to her husband.

"So pure, so innocent. And now _mine,_" Green smoke envelopes the witch as she disappears with the product of true love. The moment Zelena's gone, the spell lifts off of the prince and his wife. Snow White looks at her hands, the hands which aren't holding her baby. The hands that Emma was taken from, and now her son. She breaks down into sobs.

* * *

(Storybrooke, present time)

"Thank you," Adrianna says again to Emma as she opens the door to the second biggest house on the block, and Henry runs inside.

"It's no problem."

"You know, he really wants you to stay," Adrianna tells her as she leans against the doorframe to support her after another long, tiring day.

"What do you want?" Emma asks, genuinely curious to what the answer will be.

"Honestly?" Adrianna heaves a sigh. "I'm not sure. Maybe having you in his life will be good for him," She shrugs. "Maybe," the brunette looks down, contemplating. "At least stay a week." She says abruptly while still looking down.

"Oh, I…I don't know," Emma's voice is stricken and hesitant as she replies.

"Please," Adrianna begs. "For Henry."

"I'll think about it," _No promises, _Emma thinks. Staying? She admits that she does like Henry, that she wanted him to have his best chance. Ten years ago, his best chance wasn't with her. In fact, it probably still isn't. What best for Henry is that she leaves, that she doesn't complicate his life any farther. _Sorry, kid _she thinks, _I'm out. _Turning around, Emma makes her way down the driveway and toward her yellow bug. Getting closer, Emma sees a silhouette tapping a heeled shoe against the street next to her bug. Emma continues the rest of the way cautiously until the street lamps illuminate bright, red hair. _Zelena? _

"Bold choice, the yellow. What made you choose it?" the mayor asks as she trails her hands along the front hood of Emma's car.

"Excuse me, what?" Emma asks, wondering if she heard right.

"I'm not actually here to discuss why you chose yellow for your car, so let's just skip to what I came here for," Zelena slides her hand of the hood and clasps it in front of her with her other hand. "I heard that you helped find Henry when he had run away again. I just wanted to say thank you. My family means a lot to me and things have been difficult lately. You already know about the issues Graham and my sister are having, and then Henry has his book thing on top of that. Running away is so unlike Henry and it's quite unsettling, so thank you."

"It's no problem," Emma assures the mayor . "You know what's kind of crazy?" the blonde asked as she gave a low chuckle under her breath. "Yesterday was my birthday and when I blew out the candle on this cupcake I bought myself, I actually made a wish. That I didn't have to be alone on my birthday. And then, Henry showed up." Emma smiled as she revisited the memory. Her smile didn't last long though when she remembered what she was doing. Leaving. _It's for the best,_ she tried to convince herself.

"Miss. Swan, you're not taking this the wrong way are you?" Zelena asks with a smile plastered on her face even though her words are anything but happy or friendly.

"What?"

"You're not taking everything that's happened as an invitation but into my nephew's life are you?" the fake smile melts right off her face and her icy eyes flash. "My sister has enough going on in her life without worrying about you trying to steal her son from her."

"I… I'm not―"

"Do you know what a closed adoption is?" Zelena interrupted Emma as she leaned in closer to the woman, and stared her dead in the eyes.

"I―"

"Well I sure as hell hope so," Zelena cut in on the blonde again. "because it's what you asked for. Henry may have gone and found you, but that doesn't change a thing, Miss. Swan. It doesn't change the fact that you tossed him away when he was just a baby, or the fact that you _are not his mother._ You have no legal right to him, and in fact," she says holding up a finger, "the point of a closed adoption is _no contact_. I have no idea what you've been doing in the last decade, but whatever it was, Adrianna has changed every diaper, soothed every fever, and endured every tantrum. You may have given birth to Henry, Miss. Swan, but he is _not your son. _My suggestion to you: get in your car and hightail it back to Boston because you are most certainly not welcome here. I don't want to see your face around here ever again, do I make myself clear?"

Emma stared at the redhead Mayor for a long time, her eyes never left the mayor's icy ones. "You know what, Madame Mayor?" She asked Zelena coldly as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Henry asked me to stay in town, at least a week," looking toward the mayor she could see the fury building up behind her eyes. What exactly was her problem? "and so did your sister," she continued after a pause. The mayor gritted her teeth and her chest heaved a bit due to her attempt to control her anger. _Geez, anger management much? _"Who am I to turn down such a request?" She asks, if not a bit smugly. "I was going to leave, thought it was for the best. But, you just made me want to stay the week, maybe longer. I don't take well to people threatening me. Have a nice night, Madame Mayor." Brushing past the mayor, Emma moved to the driver side and slid into the seat. Driving away, she could feel the eyes of the mayor on her the entire time, and if looks could kill, she would have died a million times over.

* * *

(in Storybrooke in another lifetime)

"He's gone," pants Snow White, defeated and crushed as she lay in her hospital bed. "It happened again," Beside her, Prince Charming, or David, roughly rips off the hospital gown type thing that he had put on for when his wife was giving birth. His eyes remain solely on Snow as he does it. He had to get there baby back. They lost Emma, they had sent her away, but he wasn't going to let it happen again. Without a word, he grabs his sheathed sword and tugs open the door, storming through. Walking outside the room, he sees as Regina hugs her son close to her, rubbing this back. The second her eyes land on the prince, she breaks away and hurries after him. She has to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, she doesn't call him and his wife the two idiots for nothing.

"Where are you going?" the former Evil Queen demands.

"To get my son back," David replies without a beat of hesitation.

"You're gonna get yourself killed," Regina exclaims, trying to reason with him. She grabs his arm to slow him down, and turn him toward her. "David, think about his."

"What's there to think about?"

"Don't let him get hurt," begs Henry as he turns to his mom. He knows his Grandpa, he was going after his son no matter the cost, the Charmings never gave up on each other.

"What's going on here?" David whirls around to see his daughter walking toward him. Emma had left before her baby brother was delivered, and she left to defeat Zelena. Only the strongest purveyor of light magic can defeat Zelena, and that was the Savior. Hook, who David insisted Emma take with her, comes up behind her as David starts questioning the blonde.

"What happened? Did you find Zelena?" he asks hopefully. But dread weighed down heavily in the pit of his stomach and he was sure he already knew the answer.

"I…I did but I couldn't stop her," Emma admits guiltily as she looks down.

"She took your brother."

"Because I failed?" Emma asks despairingly.

"We're all still here, so you haven't failed just yet," interjects the pirate captain.

"Hook's right, come on," David makes to move around Emma before she grabs his hand.

"No, wait. Zelena took my magic," Emma admits, looking her father in the eye.

"How the hell did that happen?" Regina exclaims.

"It doesn't matter how, it just happened, so we need to find another way to stop her." Emma says with certainty, not wanting to believe that she was their only hope. There has to be another way.

"There is no other way," Regina looks Emma in the eyes, light meeting dark.

"That's not true," Henry speaks up next to Regina. Regina turns to look at her son, holding her breath in hope that he has a solution. "You can do it."

"Sweetheart," Regina starts, her heart broke a little bit when he said that. He believed in her that much? _Well, guess I'll be disappointing him, again. _"I don't think I can survive round three with my sister."

"Glinda was pretty specific." Charming says, remembering when he and Snow went to visit her. "Only the purveyor of the strongest light magic can defeat her."

"Zelena only beat you because you were using dark magic against her!" Henry explains. It was all coming together in his head, clicking like pieces of a puzzle. It was the big picture, the unexpected.

"But, that's all I have," Regina says, hating to let everyone down.

"No," Emma says, the realization hitting her like a truck. "it's not," now it made sense, what Henry was saying, she could see it. "When you kissed Henry that was true love's kiss, that's light magic."

"See? You can do it." Henry encourages, looking back to his dark haired mom.

"Henry," Regina floundered, looking for the words to explain. She couldn't express her gratitude for their belief in her, but she just couldn't do it. "I don't even have my heart right now."

"That doesn't matter. You broke the curse without it, and I know you still love me. I know there's good in you," Regina's eyes stayed glued to her son's as he spoke. His words touched a place deep inside her.

"He's right," Robin Hood agrees as he walks into the room holding his crossbow. "I know you can beat that witch."

"But, I don't…" Regina didn't know what else to say.

"You have to," the Savior says. _Regina was their hope now, who would have thought? _she wonders.

"Once upon a time, you were a villain, mom. But you've changed, you're a hero now. And defeating bad guys is what heroes do. I believe in you, now you need to believe to." Henry tells her. Everyone gathered looks at the mother, son pair. Robin Hood, Emma Swan, Prince Charming, Captain Hook, they all believed in the former Evil Queen. They had seen her from the worst to the best. And now, everything was depending on her.

* * *

(Storybrooke, present time)

In the hospital, Mary Margaret sets down pink vases with pretty, white flowers springing out. She grasps the hand of an elderly man in the hospital, a sign of thanks from him and a silent support and get-well from her. She takes a vase off her cart and enters a private room where a John Doe rests in a coma. He's been that way as long as she can remember. One final glance, and then the schoolteacher walks out of the room, leaving her forgotten Prince Charming behind.

Henry rests his arms on the window of his room and stares out at the clock tower. No movement. No change. In front of his house, Henry's mom and his father talk to each other. Adrianna smiles as she talks to Graham, telling him of Henry's escapades and inviting him to stay for a family dinner.

Walking down the street behind them are a man, woman, and child. The man has blonde hair, scruff, blue eyes, and dimples. He holds the hand of the little boy with dark curls, dark eyes, and the same dimples. The little boy's hand also holds that of the woman beside him. The woman has black hair, dark eyes, and darker, olive skin. The little boy's laughter trills down the street and causes Adrianna to look in that direction. For a second, her eyes lock with the man with the light hair and blue eyes before she quickly tears her eyes away.

In the Rabbit Hole, the only bar in the town, a man sits at the bar nursing a drink. He wears tight leather and has dark hair and stubble. His eyes are a striking blue and he taps a prosthetic hand against the counter.

Somewhere else in Storybrooke, Emma Swan walks into a place called 'Granny's Bed and Breakfast.' Inside, an old woman with gray hair pinned up on her head and glasses dangling around her neck fights with a young woman with dark hair and bright red streaks in her hair. "You're out all night, and now you're going out again," a voice floats down from the stairs as Emma walks in wearing her red leather jacket.

"I should have moved to Boston!" An angry voice replies as people can be heard coming down the wooden stairs.

"I'm sorry that my heart attack interfered with your plans to sleep your way down the eastern seaboard," The older woman says.

Feeling uncomfortable, Emma decides to speak up. "Excuse me, I would like a room." The older woman, who had been watching the younger woman who Emma could only assume, was her granddaughter, turns around in surprise.

"Really?" she asks. _She doesn't get much business around here, _Emma assumes. The younger woman with the red streaks peeks her head out of the room she had escaped to. She places a scarf over her head as she examines the newest source of income. "Would you like a forest view or a square view?" the older woman asks excitedly as she moves behind a desk cluttered with items strung together by cobwebs. "Normally, there's an upgrade fee for the square but, as friends do, I'll wave it," She goes to a shelf stuffed with books and pulls a record book out.

"Square is fine," Emma tells her with a small smile as she moves in front of the desk.

A puff of dust rises in the air as the record book is dropped down onto the desk and the woman grabs a pen. "Now, what's the name?" the older woman poises the pen over the book in preparation to write.

"Swan. Emma Swan"

"Emma," Says a voice from behind her. The older woman (who runs the business so that leads Emma to assume she is Granny) takes the glasses she held up to her eyes down again to look at the newest person to enter the Bed and Breakfast. Emma turns to look at the man behind her. He's an older man with brown-gray hair that falls longer than most men's hair. His hair just brushes his shoulders and he has a light dusting of stubble on his face. Leaning on a cane, he wears a nice suit with a tie and brown eyes. "What a lovely name."

"Thanks," Emma says to the stranger, a little bit thrown off although she doesn't let it show. A smile crooks the corner of his mouth. Granny digs around in her desk for a moment before pulling out a roll of money. She holds it out to the man.

"It's all here."

"Yes, yes of course it is, dear. Thank you," he reaches across to take the money and Emma watches with interest. Once he's done, he eyes look over to where Emma stands. "Enjoy your stay," he says and after a pause, he says her name again. "Emma." He walks to the door, eying the young woman with the red streaks in her hair before he leaves.

"Who's that?" Emma noticed how the minute Granny realized the man was in the room, the tension increased to a ridiculously high rate.

"Mr. Gold," the young woman speaks up for the first time and Emma looks at her. "he owns this place." She pushes the curtains aside so she can gaze outside.

"The inn?"

"No, the town," Granny says. She shakes her head and smiles at Emma. "So, how long will you be with us?"

"A week, just a week," _one week_ Emma repeats in her head. _Then you're out of her._

"Great," Granny grabs a room key from a small wooden slot, only one of many. "Welcome to Storybrooke."

* * *

(In Storybrooke in another lifetime)

"Nothing more innocent than a newborn babe," Zelena muses as she cradles Snow White and Prince Charming's baby. "and you, my sweet, are the most innocent of all. The product of the truest love." Zelena gently sets down the baby in a basket on top of the bronze plate laying on the ground. Zelena stands and looks around at her handiwork. "Once I change the past," she says as she closer to where the Dark One stands. "you and I shall meet under different circumstances." She tells him. "And Rumple, you _will_ choose me. And I will be enough," Rumpelstiltskin watches Zelena as she walks to stand across from him, he fears that she will succeed now that the Savior's magic is gone. He fears what that success will. But his hatred is stronger than his fear, and so he replies.

"No, you won't, and not matter where you go in time, I will find a way to kill you," he vows, adding an unspoken _for Bae_ on the end.

Zelena only laughs at this. She raises her arms to the sky, ready to enact the spell. _It's happening _she thinks,_ soon, I'll get the life I deserved. I'll get everything. _She still clutches the dagger in her hand, she won't take any chances. If the Dark One got ahold of his dagger now, he would surely kill her. Then, all her work would be undone and she has come too far for that. Pure, white, light magic emits from the baby, golden for the spun gold replica of Rumple's brilliant brain and seemly the same color for Prince Charming's symbol of courage, and finally, red for her sister's resilient heart. The magic swirls together in a pattern before meeting in the middle of the circle and opening the time portal. "Don't worry, dearie," she says to Rumple. "Once this is over, you won't remember a thing."

"Oh, I'd be worried if I were you, dearie," Rumple warns, his gaze stuck on something behind her. Turing around, Zelena sees the gang of misfits they sent after here in an attempt to stop her. Too bad their efforts were futile. Grinning at the bunch, who are still a fair distance away, she sees the thief who first tried to stop her along with some of his men, her sister (_gosh, haven't these people learned their lesson? Especially Regina?)_, the angry father, the 'Savior', and the out-of-depth captain. Quite the showy group.

"Sorry, Rumple," Zelena grins as she twists her body back to look at him. "they're too late," With that, the ball of magic in the middle shoots up and cleaves a hold through the roof of the barn as it shoots into the sky. She laughs as she feels the raw power turning into a sucking vortex. She quickly jumps into it before anyone else can get sucked in and then try to interfere with her plans. She closes her eyes and thinks of when her mother was pregnant with her, that's when it started. She feels her feet hit the ground with a thunk and she's spilled out onto the ground as well. Picking herself off the ground, the witch looks around. No one else followed her through, good. The portal closed for the return trip, but she already had that worked out and though through. A palace towers in the distance while Zelena lies in the forest just outside it. A wicked smile grows on her face. _Time to change the past._

* * *

(Storybrooke, present time)

As Emma accepts the key from Granny, Henry's head still rests on his arms on his window sill. He still stares at the clock tower, willing it to move, willing a change. Suddenly, the hand moves. It's no longer 8:15 according to the clock tower, for the first time in Henry's life, it's 8:16. He smiles and laughs, knowing Emma decided to stay, at least for a week. Her first day in Storybrooke and she was already changing things, already weakening the curse! Henry smiled even bigger when he thought about that.

* * *

**So what do you guys think? Any suggestions or anything? I would LOVE more reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and sorry for the long wait. I'll work on the next chapter as soon as I can!**

**DracoWombat: Thank you again for being my first ever review! I want to say that you can ask me for something. Such as put in an idea or a request or something else for this story, you get to choose. Again, I hope this chapter answered some of your questions, although I know they will not have answered all of them. About the story being a complete rewrite... I'm not sure. I would like to do that but it also matters on what time I can work on it and how things just turn out. But writing is a passion of mine and I definitely need to make more time for it. And yes in the new timeline, Zelena is NOT the Wicked Witch, but I wouldn't say that she doesn't have anything to do with Oz, even in the new timeline. She doesn't exactly like Oz and we know how Zelena can hold a grudge. As for what she changes in the past, I hope to get to that next chapter in the flashbacks. Your idea of what she does change is a good idea, very clever, but not correct. I also understand what you are saying about the paradox, I watch Doctor Who as well! thanks again!**


	4. From One Lifetime to Another

**Hey guys! A new chapter! Finally! I am so so sorry for the wait, truly. But I am in school and school is my number one priority. Then, I am also involved in a team sport which takes up basically the rest of my time. I did warn you guys that my updating will be very inconsistent. But remember, good quality, long chapters. I also had some difficultly writing the flashback scenes with Zelena. I of course had an idea of what I wanted to do but felt like it wasn't coming out right. So the flashbacks may not be as well written as I would like. I have no beta or anyone else looking over my story, so all mistakes are mine. I don't own Once Upon a Time or the lovely characters. Also, thanks to everyone who followed or made this story a favorite. I love you guys, thank you so much, please enjoy this chapter, and please review!**

* * *

"Henry!" Adrianna calls upstairs to her son. "Breakfast!" The little boy comes dashing down the stairs with his book bag haphazardly open and hanging halfway off his back, his school uniform on, and his trademark black coat and striped scarf over it. "Henry!" Adrianna exclaims as he trips and falls into her arms. Righting him, Adrianna zips his book bag, swings the second strap over his shoulder, smoothes out his shirt, and adjusts his scarf. "There we go," she says affectionately. Henry smiles at her as he ducks around her and enters the kitchen. Launching himself into a chair, Henry digs into pancakes slathered with syrup and topped with butter. "Slow down," orders his mom as she follows him into the kitchen. Rubbing his shoulder she tells him, "I don't want you to choke," Heading to the fridge, Adrianna grabs the orange juice and pours a glass. Plopping the glass next to her son's plate, she examines him. "You seem happier than usual this morning," Henry doesn't react and continues to stuff his face instead. "Any reason?" she asks.

This time, after Henry swallows his mouthful, he sends her another big grin. "You'll see," he promises. Adrianna lets the matter drop, putting it down to the fact that he somehow knows Emma stayed in town, and doesn't think she knows yet. A few minutes later, when Adrianna is upstairs stepping into her pumps to head to work, she hears it. Chiming. The chiming of a bell. Like… a clock. There are no clocks in the house that chime, no grandfather clocks, nothing. _Could it be…?_ She asks herself as she walks slowly to the window and shifts the curtain to look out. _How…?_ That clock hasn't moved Henry's whole life, not even _her_ whole life. Somehow, it's moving now. After staring at the clock tower for a few more moments, Adrianna shakes herself out of her deep thought. Glancing at the digital clock on her nightstand, she curses under her breath, grabs her breath, and rushes to Henry's bathroom across the hall. She finds him rinsing his mouth out after brushing his teeth. "Henry," she says, startling him as he jerks upright. Recovering from his initial surprise, he grabs a towel to dry his hands. "I lost track of the time, we need to go or else I'll be late for work. Meet me in the foyer, you have two minutes to finish getting ready," Henry nods to show that he understands as he ducks around her for the second time that morning. Adrianna scurries down the stairs, nearly tumbling down the rest of the way because of her shoes. In two minutes, Adrianna stands impatiently waiting in the foyer as she hears the footsteps of her son on the upstairs floor. One more minute before Henry runs down the stairs and Adrianna bustles him out of the house. Clutching her son's hand, Adrianna breaks into a jog and tugs Henry along behind her until they get to her car. Releasing his hand, Adrianna moves to the driver's side and slides in. Starting the car, she looks in the rear-view mirror to see Henry closing the door behind him in the back seat. As soon as she can, she's peeling out of the driveway and driving as high as the speed limit to Granny's. Once they arrive, Adrianna parks along the sidewalk next to the diner. She unbuckles her seat belt and turns to face Henry. "I love you," she says to him before handing him a few folded up bills. "for your cocoa. Now, be a good boy. I'll see you later."

"I love you too, Mom." He says as he leans forward and gives her an awkward half-hug over the car seat. Pulling back he holds up the money. "And thanks," he grins before he opens the car door and dives out in record time. Re-buckling her seat belt, the brunette pushes the pedal and speeds to work for the day.

* * *

(The Enchanted Forest in another lifetime)

In the Enchanted Forest, outside Leopold's castle, a young woman with bright red hair brushes dirt off her black outfit. _What am I doing? _She asks herself. _This attire will never pass in the Enchanted Forest. _With a wave of the hand, green smoke rises and embraces her. When it's gone, she's left in a simple dress with an apron tied from around the waist. Now she can pass as a servant and get close enough to kill Queen Eva before she can ruin everything. Making a servant's lace cap in her hand, she places it on her head and tucks her hair into it. That's when she catches sight of her hand. It's not green. It looks like anyone else's. Inside of a land with magic, her true from, her insides should be on display. For some reason, that isn't the case. _I haven't been born yet. _The realization hits her hard. _There would be no chance for me to have discovered Regina and become jealous of her. No chance to turn green. Not yet. In this moment in time, I don't exist. _A wicked smile adorns her face as she makes her way to the castle._ The time has come to change the past once and for all._

* * *

(Storybrooke, present)

The Mayor stands in front of a mirror, twisting her hair up behind her head and pinning it into place. The mirror is small and round, the main focus is for someone to look at their face in it. Surrounding the mirror is an ornate design of silver swirls. Shiny, embedded silver jewels sparkle in the sliver design around the mirror as the lights hit them from different angles. As Zelena slides the last pin into place, she hears chimes. Unmistakable chimes. Unmistakable chimes of the clock tower. Her hand slips and the pin digs into her scalp. The pain is dull and she barely registers it. Yanking out the pin, she throws it across the room instead of using it on her hair. Looking in the mirror, she sees her reflection: her face contorted in ugly rage, and fury spilling out of her eyes. Storming across the room, she picks up the pin and jams it into her hair. Uncurling her fists, she takes deep breath. _Deep breaths. _She instructs herself. _You won, you have everything. They have nothing, you took it from them. You took it from them because you won._ This was an exercise she had done many times before. When she opens her eyes, nothing in bathed in the harsh, red light of anger anymore. _Right, time to go see for myself. _Swiping her coat out of the closet, she swings it on her shoulders, races down her sweeping staircase, out the door, and toward the heart of Storybrooke.

She arrives in front of the clock tower just as another minute passes, and the long hand moves one tick. _The Savior._ She thinks while gritting her teeth. She knew who she was the minute she saw her. Gosh, Zelena was so stupid! She should have known. She should have known because in another lifetime, after twenty eight years living under the curse, her sister stood in the exact same spot as her. A grin quirked the corner of her mouth. _The Savior, here to stay._ Apparently, she didn't like threats. But what Miss. Swan was too stupid to realize, is that the Mayor was baiting her. She knew from another lifetime that her sister's threats are exactly what convinced Emma Swan to stay in Storybrooke just a little while longer. _Wonderful._ "Hey, how about that," says a voice behind Zelena, right at her shoulder. Tossing a quick look over her shoulder, she can see it's the cricket who gave worthless advice in the Enchanted Forest. _He must have been walking his dog as he does every morning and evening. _She muses, and when she looks down, she can indeed see his dog, Pongo. Nothing had ever changed around here. Not until _she _rolled into town. "Guess those rusty old inners finally straightened themselves out, huh?"

"Yes," Zelena says, her grin growing into a delighted smile. "how about that indeed." Without wasting another moment, the Mayor turns on her heel and leaves.

Not much later, she's at Granny's, cradling a basket of green apples in her arms. "Which room is Miss. Swan residing in?" she asks, striding up to the old woman.

Raising her gray eyebrows, the old woman replies. "I don't think I'm entitled to tell you that Madame Mayor."

Giving a sweet, and quite fake, smile, she tells the old woman. "It would be in your best interests," _Damn that stubborn old wolf. _She growls in her head. Although, at least she was much too old to turn. Her granddaughter was who she really had to worry about in the Enchanted Forest.

"And why would that be?"

"Best not to ask," Zelena replied through gritted teeth.

"Give me a minute," and with that, the old woman disappeared through the back door. Probably to consult her records. In roughly three minutes, the woman came back with her glasses still perched on her nose. "Room four, Madame Mayor."

"Thank you," faking another smile, the Mayor left as quickly as she could. _This hallway, one….. two….. three….. ah! Room four! _Zelena jostles the basket a bit to make sure she had a proper hold on it with one hand before she went to knock. The blonde hair was the first thing she sees as the door opens a crack and Miss. Swan pokes her head out to see who is visiting her. The blonde opens the door wider as soon as she identifies her visitor. She's wearing a quite see-through white tank top with a quite visible black bra underneath as she holds a coffee cup in one hand and the other rests against the door. "Hello, Miss. Swan. I wanted to apologize about my behavior yesterday, it was so unnecessarily rude. Being Mayor means a lot of stress and sometimes you just… crack under that sometimes," Zelena says as Emma looks at her with an expression of disbelief painted over her fair skin. "I hope you'll forgive me. I even brought something for you," gently folding back the white cloth she had covering the green apples, she holds one up. "My sister and I have both been tending to apple trees since we were little girls. Hers produces red apples, too sickly sweet if you ask me. I find that people tend to like something… a little sharper, something with a bit more kick to it. I have yet to find anything more delicious than the fruit my dear tree offers," she tucks the apple away with the others, nestling it into place among the others. Flipping the cloth back on top, she holds out the basket. "I thought you might enjoy these on your ride home." By this time, Emma expression had morphed from disbelief to confusion as she stares at the basket being thrust in her face. "On your way to Boston," she clarifies. Emma's eyes flick upward to Zelena's face and her face hardens slightly as she understands what's really going on. Taking her hand off the door, Emma places it on the basket and gives it a small push towards its owner.

"With all due respect Madame Mayor, the fact that you have threatened me twice in the last twelve hours makes me wanna stay more," Emma states, her eyes daring Zelena to try and convince her to leave.

"Since when were apples a threat?"

"I can read between the lines, sorry. I just want to make sure Henry's alright."

"He's fine dear."

"You sure about that?"

"Any problems he has are being dealt with."

"What does that mean?"

"It means he's in therapy, his parents too. It's all under control."

"His parents? In therapy? Adrianna and Graham?" Emma asks disbelievingly.

"More like couples' counseling, separate sessions for now so that they can get their feelings out there and truly discover what might be wrong between them. Do you see now, Miss. Swan? Only one of us here knows what's best for Henry."

"Yeah, I'm starting to think you're right about that," Emma's resolve to stay was only growing. He got his best chance with his parents, but his aunt? She was a whole other story, and not one she liked either. Zelena smirks at her.

"Dear, you don't know the first thing about what's best for Henry."

"Don't I?"

"Miss. Swan, really. I think it's time for you to go," Zelena voice was growing harder by the second until it cut into Emma's ears like steel.

"Or what?" She asks, _two can play this game. _

"Don't underestimate me, Miss. Swan. That would be a huge mistake. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

* * *

(The Enchanted Forest in another lifetime)

Zelena carries a basket full of flowers toward the palace. It had been produce by magic, naturally. All she needs is to get close enough to Queen (well, she wasn't queen yet) Eva to kill her. But, just in case someone saw her before she had her chance, her cover would be that she was picking flowers under orders of the head of staff of the palace who told her Prince Leopold requested them to give to his beloved, Cora. By the time anyone could check up on her, she would be long gone. Her steps were light for the first time in a while. As she nears the palace, she grins. She could see her mother, very young at the moment, sitting on a pristine white bench next to a man she could only assume was her father. This was the moment her father threatened to tell Leopold of the existence of Cora's child (her) unless she got him enough gold and jewels to live comfortably his whole life. The portal knew just the right moment to take her to. Right about now, Snow's mother would be sitting on a bench outside the white, arching gazebo in the gardens. What had first started out as an innocent sit down for Princess Eva to relax while her carriage was being prepared, became an eavesdropping session as the princess overheard the woman who stole her betrothed from her. Princess Eva had been betrothed to Prince Leopold for… as long as she could remember really. When she left home for his palace, it was meant to be the first time she would actually meet the man she was to marry. Only upon arrival did she hear that Prince Leopold had pledged himself to another. And a commoner none the less! Eva's blood boiled when she found out and wanted to leave the kingdom immediately for her own. Breaking the betrothal would surely anger her parents as well. Princess Eva wasn't even aware that you _could _break the betrothal. All of this, the kingdom, the riches, the jewels, the prince, was meant to be hers. Now, she was losing it because a commoner infiltrated the palace and wormed their way into the prince's heart. How they did it, she had no idea. But, overhearing this conversation, Princess Eva could regain her rightful place. She would tell Prince Leopold of his beloved's pregnancy, of her betrayal. He'll be heartbroken. And who better to pick up the pieces besides the one he was meant to marry in the first place? "Princess Eva," a voice suddenly infiltrates the Princess's thoughts. "your carriage awaits," the Princess didn't acknowledge that she heard the servant at all. "Princess Eva," the servant tries again.

The princess folds her light pink, gloved hands in her lap on top of her the pink skirt of her dress. "I'm coming," she whispered to the servant. Respectfully, the servant dipped into a shallow curtsey before heading back to the carriage to wait for the princess.

A short distance away, Zelena strolls closer and closer to the gazebo. Princess Eva's back is to her, she could creep up behind her and rip out her heart without a fuss. Crushing it into dust would give Zelena great pleasure, but she knew she wouldn't be able to savor it. The job had to be done swiftly so that the lady couldn't make a sound. Closer and closer. Zelena smiles, soon everything will be different. Snow's mother will be dead, unable of spilling Cora's secret. Zelena will be born as a princess, Regina will never have been born, neither will Snow White, Emma Swan, or Henry Mills. But, as she nears Snow's mother, she remembers the first time she met Regina, back in the Enchanted Forest. _"You weren't even going to say hello first? Not exactly the welcome I was expecting. What does a witch have to do to get your attention?"_ Those were the first words she had said to her sister. Using magic, she had taken the needle infused with the sleeping curse. Regina going under that curse would be far too easy, not enough pain for Zelena's liking. _"That's alright. You're the only one I need alive," she told Regina later on in the courtyard after revealing their family connections to each other._

_"Really?" the Evil Queen asked, all decked out in her elaborate armor of clothes. "Why's that?"_

_ "Because I'm going to take everything away from you," Zelena vowed._

_ "Too late," Regina informed her. "I've already lost everything that matters."_

_ "No, Regina. You haven't lost anything yet."_

_ "So you are going to kill me?" her half-sister asked. Was that a hopeful note that Zelena heard in her voice? _

_ "No, it's too easy. For me to get what I want, I need you to suffer. You see, what's in store for me is all my dreams being realized, but for you? Well, it's a fate worse than death."_

_ "Go ahead. Bring it, Greenie," Regina challenged. _

_ "Indeed I will," holding out her hand, a broomstick appeared. "See you soon, sis," she said as she hopped on. She cackled as she rode away from the castle. _

Now, as Zelena stalks toward her victory, she realizes she hasn't fulfilled her promise at all. Neal died, but that affected Rumple and Emma much more than her. She attempted to kill Regina and Emma's shared brat, Henry, but that hadn't quite worked out. Stealing Snow White and Prince Charming's newborn child was more of a hit to Snow, Charming, and Emma. Nothing had really been taken away from Regina. In fact, she had found love! Her son had remembered and her own _true love's kiss_ had fixed the missing year problem. Not only that, but Zelena had a deep seeded hatred for Snow as well. This particular hatred was because of what her mother had done. What better way to make Eva suffer in the afterlife than to watch pain and suffering inflicted on her daughter again and again. Plenty of agony had been cast upon Snow White, but not nearly enough. Snow and Regina's pain combined didn't even begin to equal what Zelena had gone through. This wasn't making them suffer; this was erasing them from existence. No, that wasn't enough for her. She needed more. Scattered ideas swirled around inside her head until they all started knitting themselves together. She was formulating a plan inside her mind. It would be difficult and much more complicated and messy than just killing Princess Eva here and now. But, taking the hard path would have its own rewards farther down the road. Making up her mind, the redhead turns away from her original plan and runs back to the woods where she first arrived.

* * *

(Storybrooke, present)

Juggling a green apple from Mayor Zelena, Emma Swan enters the diner part of Granny's. Heading straight to the counter, Emma plops down in a seat. Seeing someone reading a newspaper a few seats away she leans back to glance at the front page. Her own face stares back at her and the headline reads **Stranger Destroys Historic Sign. **Underneath it presents **Alcohol Involved.** _Wonderful. Just wonderful, _Emma sighs. Ruby saunters over to her, showing an inappropriate expanse of skin for working at her grandmother's diner. A white cup of coca topped off with whipped cream and sprinkled with cinnamon sits on the tray she holds up high with one hand. Reaching for the cup, she puts the drink in front of Emma. "Anything else?" she asks with a smile and eyes showing interest. _If she's that interested in her, Storybrooke must really not get any visitors. _

Emma throws the brunette a confused glance. "Thank you, but I did not order that."

"Yeah, I know," and with that the woman scurries away to the other patrons of the diner to do her job.

"Hi!" the voice of a child says cheerily right next to Emma ear. "I see you got my gift."

Jumping out of her seat a bit, she turns her head to see Henry sitting on the stool beside her. "Geez, kid, you scared me," After slowing down her rapidly beating heart, Henry's words sink in. "You got this for me?" she asks as her eyes flick down to the coca.

"Yep," he confirms. Then after a second, "Sorry," he apologizes, looking down sheepishly. "for scaring you."

Looking down at the drink again, Emma raises her eyebrows. "Well, thank you, kid. I'm impressed that you guessed I like cinnamon on my coca. Most people don't." she raises the cup to her mouth and licks some of the whipped cream off the top.

Henry smiles widely. "I like cinnamon too."

"What are you doing here?" Emma asks as she swivels her chair to face his. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"My mom drops me off here every morning with my school stuff and money to buy cocoa before school. She has to go to work before I go to school. Ruby walks me to the bus stop, or sometimes directly to school, each morning, my mom gives her a little extra cash to do it," Henry explains.

"Wait, if your mom is at work when you're at school, then what about yesterday? That didn't look like work to me."

"When she discovered I was gone, she took a sick day to look for me. Well, she does kind of own the daycare, so she can really be off whenever she wants and anyone there will cover for her. All the employees know how to run the daycare because they've all had to cover for my mom at least once."

"Is she finished with work by the time school's out?"

"No. After school, I head to the sheriff's office to spend time with my dad. If he's too busy working or has to go into town to look into something, I'm sent to my Aunt's office. To Zelena," he spits out Zelena name on the end as if it's a curse word. Emma sends a sympathetic look his way. Henry doesn't look at her; instead he stares down at the countertop with high intensity. Emma doesn't think too much off it, if Zelena was her Aunt and she was forced to spend time with her, she'd say her name like that too. Instead of pressing the matter, Emma grabs her cup and throws back the rest of her coca. When she's finished, Henry snatches her cup, scoots out of the booth and over the Ruby, placing the empty cup on the tray she's currently carrying. Ruby strides over to the counter and places her tray down.

"Ready to go to the bus stop, Henry?" she asks him.

"No, I'm good. Emma will walk me today," Unease reflects in Ruby's eyes and she opens her mouth to protest. Henry cuts her off before she can utter a word. "Don't worry," he tells her. "I won't tell my mom, you'll still get your cash," he promises. Ruby smiles, suddenly seeming unbothered that she's been cast aside for the job. Plucking the tray off the counter, she holds it up on one hand and heads to the back room of the diner to drop off the dirty dishes.

Brushing by Emma as she goes, she whispers to her, "He's all yours," with a pleased smile lighting up her face. _Responsibility isn't her thing, _Emma concludes as she turns her head to watch the waitress go. Shaking her head, Emma turns back to the task at hand; which is currently making sure Henry gets to school.

"So what's the deal with your aunt?" Emma asks as she and Henry walk to the other side of the street.

"Well, it's not about us. It's about her curse. We have to break it. Luckily, I have a plan. Step One: Identification. I call it: Operation Cobra."

"Cobra? That has nothing to do with fairy tales."

"Exactly, it's a code name, to throw the queen off the trail."

"So everyone here is a fairy tale character?" Emma asks for clarification. "They just don't know it?"

"That's the curse. Time's been frozen," he pauses. "Until you got here." Emma processes what he's saying as she lifts the green apple (the one she's been tossing around all morning) to her mouth to take a bite. "Hey!" Henry's voice startles her and she takes the apple away from her mouth to look at him. "Where'd you get that?"

"Your aunt." Emma says as she looks at Henry and then down at the apple in puzzlement.

"Don't eat that!" Henry demands. Before giving his birth mother time to think, he rips the apple from her grass and tosses it up and behind them.

"Okay," Emma says, still confused as she looks back at the snack she is no longer going to have. "Uh…" Emma grapples for a subject. _Right, the curse. That's what we were talking about. _"What about their pasts?"

"Well, there is something else you need to know about the curse."

"What?"

"There are two timelines in the book."

"Two timelines?"

"Yeah. In this one, the Evil Queen is my Aunt Zelena. But, in the other one, the Evil Queen was my mom, Adrianna."

"You're telling me that Adrianna was the Evil Queen?" Emma raises her eyebrows in disbelief. When she saw that woman, all she saw was a sweet person, but struggling as a mother and wife.

"I know. That goes against everything with the person she is _now_. But in the other timeline, things were very different. Everything changed because Zelena went back and changed her past."

"You're telling me that she went back in time?"

"Yes!" Henry exclaims. "Before, she wasn't the Evil Queen. She was the Wicked Witch of the West."

"The Wicked Witch of the West? Really?" Emma asks. She can tell Henry isn't joking when she looks into his eyes and sees how serious he is. "But… what about the green skin? Pointy hat? Broomstick?"

"_Was. _She was the Wicked Witch before she went back and set a path that would make her the Evil Queen. In the other timeline, the stories go on past just the casting of the curse you being sent off in the wardrobe. Even I'm in these stories. But the only problem is that Aunt Zelena got a hold of my book and tore out pages."

"She got a hold of your book? How?"

"It was the night I first got it and my mom and I went over to her house for dinner. I hadn't gotten very far in the book and didn't know she was the Evil Queen yet. She showed interest and asked to look at it. She told my mom that she wasn't sure this was an appropriate book for a ten-year-old and these stories were more like the gory originals before they were turned 'kid-friendly'. She requested to hold onto the book for the night and look it over. Mom agreed and then when I got the book back, lots of pages were missing."

"Why would she give you the book back in the first place?"

Henry shrugs. "She left some specific parts in the book. I know from the other timeline that you broke the curse there, but Zelena removed ―"

"How." Emma finishes for him. "She removed how I broke it so that we couldn't just recreate that."

"Exactly. She left enough information for me to understand that it was broken. Clue number one: there was magic in Storybrooke. Someone could only bring magic to Storybrooke if the curse was broken because the Queen was the only one who knew about the curse. She wouldn't have brought magic to Storybrooke herself. That could wake everyone up. Zelena also let me know that she was the Wicked Witch before, and the story in the other timeline ends with her going back to the past."

"It doesn't go into what she changed?" Henry just gave Emma a look and she understood. "Oh, Zelena ripped that part out, too."

"Yep. So, the thing about their pasts is, in the other curse, it was all a haze to everyone. You could ask Mary Margaret when she met Adrianna and she would have had no idea. But, it seems that Aunt Zelena turned it up a notch and didn't want to take any chances. Everyone has fake memories of their pasts, but it's all there. Everything is very specific; she even created fake memories of a bad past between my mom and Robin Hood to make sure they stayed apart."

"So, for decades, people have been walking around not aging, with fake and screwed up memories, stuck in a cursed town that kept them oblivious?"

"I knew you'd get it," Henry beams up at his birth mother. "That's why we need you. You're the only one who can stop her curse."

"Because I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming?" Emma stops walking as she turns to face Henry fully.

"Yes, but right now we're at a disadvantage. Since Zelena got her hands on the book first, she knows you're the Savior. Even if she didn't get her hands on the book, she met you in the other timeline so she would know regardless. But just a precaution, I cut out the part at the end. The part with you in it." After digging around in his backpack, Henry pulls out a few pages. He hands them to Emma and the page on top is a picture. It depicts a man with blonde hair and a blood-stained white shirt crouching down with a baby in his arms and doors, to what Emma would guess is the wardrobe that supposedly sent her here, yawning open wide before the pair. The baby was cradled in a blanket with a clear Emma embroidered in the soft material. "See? Your mom is Snow White."

"Kid…" Emma starts with an endearing smile.

"I know the hero never believes at first. If they did it wouldn't be a very good story," Henry cuts her off before she can get a word out. "If you need proof, take them, read them, but whatever you do, don't let my Aunt Zelena see them. She already knows who you are, but anything we can do might help us gain the upper-hand." Emma processes his words as they continue. Emma may not believe in all this, but Henry obviously does, and with a passion, too. Rolling up the pages Henry gave her, she doesn't make any attempt to strike up conversation as she walks him the rest of the way to school.

As they near the school, Henry pipes up. "I gotta go, but I'll find you later and we can get started." Walking backward, Henry smiles at her. "I knew you'd believe me!"

"I never said I did!" Emma calls out, lift her red-leather clad arms.

"Why else would you be here?" He asks before turning his back on her and running into the building.

Mary Margaret, who had been standing outside the school and watching the kids arrive and file in, turns around to see Henry's birth mother. She had first heard his voice and then found him with her eyes as he ran right around her to get into the school. Walking toward Emma in a patterned purple and white dress with a white shrug adorning her shoulders, she remarks with a sparkle in her green eyes, "It's good to see his smile back."

"I didn't do anything," Emma admits while she secretly wishes that she was the one to bring a smile to that precious boy's face.

"You stayed," Mary Margaret points out like it's the simplest thing in the world. "Well, does the Mayor know you're still here?"

"Oh, she knows. What is her deal? Not a great people person, how'd she get elected?"

"She's been Mayor for a very long time. Her mother, Cora Mills, was in office before her. When Cora passed, Zelena ran and no one was brave enough to run against her. The Mills women inspire quite a bit of… fear. Now I'm afraid I only made that worse by giving Henry that book. Now he thinks Zelena's the Evil Queen."

"Who does he think you are?" Emma asks out of curiosity.

Mary Margaret laughs and looks down. "Oh, it's silly."

"I just got five minutes of silly," Emma smiles encouragingly. "Lay it on me."

"Snow White," Mary Margaret admits while she slightly shakes her head and looks up. _See? Your mom is Snow White. _Henry's voice echoes in Emma head as her smile fades. Henry thinks this woman is her mother. Suddenly, Emma finds herself examining the women to find similarities between them. _Emma, stop!_ She scolds herself. _This is ridiculous! This is Henry's fantasy! She's the same age as you, there is no way she's your mother. _"Who does he think you are?" the teacher asks with piqued interest, not noticing the change in demeanor from the women in front of her.

Mary Margaret's voice cuts across her mind like a knife, effectively slicing her foolish thoughts in half.

"I'm not in the book." After a moment's pause, Emma asks the schoolteacher "Can I ask for a favor? Zelena mentioned the kid's in therapy, do you know where I can find the doctor?

* * *

(The Enchanted Forest in another lifetime)

"Hello!" Zelena greets with a kind smile adorning her face as a large wooden door swings open in front of her. The door is nestled between stone blocks stacked on top of each other with obvious care that make up the large manor home Zelena has arrived at. A tower protrudes from the farthest left side of the manor and candle flames make hazy balls of light in the many windows as they struggle to be seen through the lacy curtains. Sunset blazes across the sky behind the formerly green-skinned woman as she met with the curious face of an elderly servant woman. The woman holds open the door but doesn't invite Zelena inside nor does she say a word. "I was just traveling through these parts on my way home. I live in the neighboring kingdom, the one currently torn apart by war. My parents thought it was best if we left before the battle came to the civilians or I was pressed into service. They sent me ahead of them to my dear aunt while they loaded up everything they can on our wagon so they could leave. I'm afraid that I lost my way and it's getting dark. Would it be alright if I took refuge here for the night?" she asks.

The servant looks at her with a look of sympathy. "Oh, you poor thing. I heard of people running from their homes in that kingdom, leaving everything behind to ensure they live. Here, come inside," the woman invites as she waves her inside. Stepping into the warmth, Zelena looks around the place. A grand foyer with twin staircases sweeping down the sides. Rooms branched off, but what lie inside was cloaked in secrecy by the thick, plum velvet drapes that dangled over the entrance. "I can't promise you a bed or meal for the night," The elderly woman admits apologetically. "But I can get you an audience with the master of the house. He and his wife are a respected lord and lady in these parts, but they aren't like some of the other nobles. They have kind hearts. You'll see, let me go fetch them," The woman bustles away as Zelena stands in the grand room with a gold chandelier shining light down from overhead. Zelena had switched out her servant's gear from Leopold's castle to a simple peasant dress. The corset was black with emerald colored laces and the skirt fell in a quilted pattern of different shades of green. It matched her pendant, which she had turned into the clasp of her tan cloak for the time being. Crouching down to gaze in the polish marble, Zelena checked her glamour spell. Still intact, that was good. She remembered watching Regina in Oz, the time Rumple cast a glamour on her so she could kill Snow because Regina couldn't do it herself. After watching the whole ordeal go down, Zelena decided to teach herself the spell in case it would every come in handy. Now, she could undo the spell herself _and _because she cast it, she had her magic. Her new face was hardly a memorable one and she wasn't taking any chances in this little trip to the past. Suddenly, Zelena heard approaching footsteps as shoes hit the marble floor. Zelena straightened up and clasped her hands in front of her and pretended to be studying the room in wonder.

The fools ate her story right up and offered her a hot meal and bed for a little while. The lord and lady were indeed a kind couple, the lady more so than the lord. Zelena could see that the lord was a bit unhappy about the entire situation, but the lady had already offered Zelena the place to stay. Both of them were weighed down by jewels to show their wealth and had on clothes made from rich fabric without a speck of dirt on them. The lady was also pregnant. After discussing Zelena's (fake) situation, she wraps an arm around Zelena's shoulders and leads to an adjoining room. A young serving woman hurries ahead of the lady and parts the curtains for her to pass through. It's a sitting room, filled with plush chairs and couches with gold carved legs holding them up. A few tables sit in front of the furniture and the lady leads Zelena to a couch. Zelena sinks down into the comfort with relief as she throws a grateful smile to the lady. The lady sits down next to her as her husband makes himself comfortable in a chair. "Tea," orders the lady as she looks up the young servant woman who had held open the curtains. The girl curtseys and then hurries through another entryway shrouded with curtains. "What's your name, darling?" the lady asks as she turns her attention back to Zelena.

"Eva," Zelena says quickly as she spits out the first name that comes to mind. Of course it had to be the name of the woman she was planning to kill earlier that day. And it was this kingdom's future queen. "Evanna, actually," she says.

"A wonderful name, almost noble I'd say," the lady says endearingly. "My husband is Lord Maslin and I am Lady Catriona." She boasts proudly.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality, I couldn't be more grateful."

"It's no problem at all," Lady Catriona dismisses her thanks. She folds her hand on her huge, pregnant belly. "Now that I'm about to have a child of my own, I can't leave someone else's child out to the mercy of the night."

"You're too kind," Zelena smiles as she looks down at Lady Catriona's belly. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan to name your child?" she asks.

"If it's a girl: Fayette. But if it's a boy: Gaston."

"Lovely names for such a lovely couple," Zelena smiles again as the servant comes back inside and hands fancy cups of steaming tea out to Lord Maslin, Lady Catriona, and Zelena. She wraps her hands around the cup and blows on the steam rising from the beverage. "I also must admit that I am a bit lost. I haven't been to see my aunt very often, and every time I was with my parents who knew the way. I was wondering if you had any maps of the kingdom. I know the name of the village, but I would really need to see it and where I am now."

"Of course!" Lady Catriona exclaims. She looks up and spots the same servant that opened the curtains and delivered tea. "Take Evanna to the library and assist her in any way she needs."

The servant curtseys to Lady Catriona again as she waits for Zelena to push herself up from the comfy couch and follow her. The servant moves quickly through the manor without saying a word. She glances behind her occasionally to make sure Zelena is still following her and parts the curtains everytime they enter anther room. Finally they come to a room with a door and the servant pushes them open for Zelena. Zelena enters the room and sees that it's not a very big room. It is the smaller than the front parlor where she first entered but she knows that it will suit her purposes. The walls are shelves stacked edge to edge with books. A stand near the far side of the room has crisscrossing golden bars that make little compartments to stuff scrolls inside. "Are the maps over there?" Zelena asks the servant and gestures to the scrolls.

"Yes," the servant speaks up for the first time in a meek voice.

"And are there books on magic?"

"M-magic?" stammers the servant. Her eyes widen in alarm. "The Lord and Lady do not like magic, it is forbidden here."

"That's not what I asked. Are there books on magic in here?"

"My masters view magic as evil."

"Maybe, dear, it's not evil. Maybe it's wicked." Zelena laughs as she faces the scared woman. She plunges her hand inside the girl's chest and a squish sound leaks out as she clasps her hand around her heart. Yanking it out, the servant falls to the ground gasping. Her hands go to her chest and then her eyes dart to look at the pulsing organ in Zelena's hands. "Now," Zelena calmly says as she crouches to the servant's level. "you must do as I say." Bringing the heart close to her lips, Zelena asks. "Where are the books on magic?"

Mechanically, the servant stands and takes her into the darkest corner of the library. Everywhere else, a candle was dripping wax on some nearby surface and it burned a little light into that portion of the library, but not here. The corners of Zelena's mouth pull up. "Good, now you're going to forget all this. You're going to go back to your Lord and Lady and tell them you aided me all you could and you will take me to my temporary chambers. Understood?" The servant nodded. Before putting her heart back, Zelena leads her back to the compartments where the maps are. If she's going to forget, she can't let her think she's snooping around magic books. Plunging her hand back into her chest, she shoves the girl's heart back where it belongs before turning to the maps. The woman stumbles back for a moment before she catches herself and looks around with a confused look on her face. Her eyes fall on Zelena and she snaps back into her proper demeanor.

"Is there anything else I can help you with, miss?"

"No, but thank you," Zelena says as she examines the girl in her peripheral. She seems to have forgotten everything as intended.

"I'll go tell Lord Maslin and Lady Catriona that I will escort you to your temporary chambers once you're finished here."

"Thank you," Zelena thanks her with a triumphant smile as she turns toward her. Dipping into a curtsey, the woman hurries off again to inform her masters. Waiting until she's alone, Zelena grabs the candle that sits atop the scroll shelf and takes it into the magic section of the library. She knows what she's looking for. Studying magic was something she did often in Oz as she tried to figure out how to travel to the past. Most of the information she discovered was useless, but she did her best to it file away into the recesses of her brain in case she needed it again. The magic books were on a very limited supply here and most of them were only things such as healing or other helpful things. The Lord and Lady may not like magic, but they were smart to know that they might need it one day. It was hard to live out your lifetime in this land and not get tangled up in magic at least once. Although, maybe the Lord and Lady already had because of their distaste for it. Luckily for Zelena, what she was looking for had to do with memories and that could be something the Lord and Lady might have just kept around. Pulling out the few available books, Zelena heads to a table and sits down as she flips through the pages. Skimming over the chapters, she discards book after book until she thinks she's not going to find what she needs. Then, on the second to last book, she finds it. A smile grows on her face in the dim light. Keeping the book open to the page she needs, Zelena snatches the candle and dashes over to scrolls. Ripping out scroll after scroll she unfurls them and stuffs them back into their place when she sees they are not what she needs. More like not where she needs. _There it is. _The map she needs. _Arendelle. _The magic of the Rock Trolls can manipulate memories. Zelena figures she just needs a convincing case to get them to help her. Rushing back to where she left the book, she puts the map down besides the picture of the Rock Trolls working their magic. "Arendelle here I come."

* * *

(Storybrooke, present)

After finding the building Mary Margaret gave her directions to, Emma enters and goes down to the end of the hall. Finding the door already open, she just leans in and knocks to let the therapist know that she is here. _He's…. Archie! That's right, Henry called him Archie on her first night here when she was driving him home In terms of the curse, Henry said he was…. He was… Jiminy Cricket! No, Emma, stop. The curse is a fantasy of Henry's that you're playing along with. _"Hey," Emma greet as Archie looks toward the door.

Standing up from his chair, Archie recalls seeing the blonde. "Emma Swan, I was just… uh just reading about you," he remarks as he picks up his copy of T_he Daily Mirror _with Emma's face plastered to the front. "Let me guess, you're here for help with a little post traumatic stress. Diagnostic is free by the way." He says as he sets down the newspaper.

Emma chuckles good naturedly as she stuffs her hands in the back of her jeans pocket. "No," Emma says shooting down his assumption. "I'm here about Henry." She admits.

Archie starts shaking his head right away, "I… I really shouldn't―"

"I know," Emma says apologetically as slips her hands out of her pockets. "I'm sorry, I just… just tell me something," She pleads. "this fairytale obsession, what is causing it? I mean he thinks everyone is a character in his book, that's…crazy.'

"I hope you don't talk that way in front of him. The word crazy Is um… quite damaging. And these stories, they're his language. He has no way to express complex emotions, so he's translating the best he can. This is how he communicates. He's using this book to help deal with his problems," Archie explains.

_Makes sense _Emma thinks _but…_ "he got the book a month ago. Has he been seeing you longer than that?"

"Um…" Archie thinks about whether to answer her question before he starts nodding his head. "yes he has."

"Uh… his parents have been having problems for a while now. I also do counseling sessions with each of them so that they can both explore inside themselves what the problem might be without the other one right there making them feel uncomfortable about voicing their thoughts. And…his aunt is a very complicated woman. Henry's mother, Adrianna, believes in close bonds with family and she wants Henry to be close to his Aunt. But, over the years, Zelena's attempts to bring her nephew closer have only backfired." As Emma is digesting Archie's words, he stands up and goes over to a file cabinet. Emma takes an interest and what he's doing as he comes back around with it. The file is fairly large and he hesitantly holds it out to Emma. "Why don't you take a look at the file? See that I mean?"

Not quite believing that Henry's file is just being handed to her, Emma reaches out with caution in case the therapist changes his mind and retracts the offer. "Why are you doing this?" Emma asks as her flick down to the file and up to the man holding it out to her.

'Well, he talks about you a lot. You're…. very important to him."

"Thank you," Emma's hand closes around the thick file and she pulls it closer to her.

"Just…uh see that I get it back, okay?" Then Archie's over at the door and holding it open for Emma to exit. She walks over and is almost through the door before Archie says, "Miss. Swan, just for the sake of the boy, be careful how you handle his belief system. Destroying his imagination would be… be devastating," Emma nods as she turns back around and leaves, tucking his advice into the back of her mind. She's eager to get back into her room at Granny's and dig into this file. The sooner she feels at ease about this, that's Henry's really okay, the sooner she can get back to Boston and carry on with her life.

Archie shuts the door behind Henry's birth mother and makes his way over to his desk. Dialing in a number on his office phone, he puts it up to his ear and waits for the person on the other side to pick up. As the buzzing stops, Archie speaks first, knowing that the person on the other end already knows who he is. "You were right. She… was just here,"

In another part of town, in her office, Mayor Zelena Mills smiles. "Did she take the file?"

"Yes. How… how did you know she was gonna come here?"

"Because I'm the one who gave her the idea."

* * *

Emma was lounging in her bed at Granny's with her red leather jacket sprawled across the blankets behind her and Henry's file next to her. She was holding a few pages in her hand and going over them. They were near the front of the file and appear to be the newest notes. The timestamp in the corner of each sheet proves her suspicions right. Most of the information here is within the month that Henry's has had the story book and a lot of the notes are on about his ideas of the curse and of…. her. The neat handwriting of Archie states, _Talk of breaking 'the curse'. A need to find the 'Savior' which he claims is a woman named Emma and also his __birth mother._ The last words _birth mother_ are highlighted for importance with a little note to look out for more talk of finding his birth mother and to alert Adrianna and Graham if this becomes a constant topic. A knock at the door startles Emma and her thoughts skitter away from her. Opening the door she sees Henry's father, Graham. And he's also the sheriff she reminds herself as she sees his badge shining on his belt. "If you're worried about 'do not disturb' signs, don't worry, I've left those alone."

"Actually I'm here about Doctor Archibald Hopper. He mentioned you got into a bit of a rye with him earlier?"

_You have got to be kidding me! _Thought Emma "No."

"I'm shocked too," Emma felt a sense of relief wash over her as Graham said that. But then he continued. "given your shy, delicate sensibilities. He said you demanded to see Henry's files and when he refused your came back later and stole them."

"He gave them to me," _Dragged here by my delusional son, it's my second day in town, the mayor threatened me twice and now I am being framed. _

"Alas he's telling a different tale. May I check your room or must I get a search warrant?" Henry's father asked.

_Making him get a search warrant will make me look guilty and he'll just discover the files anyway. _With a sigh Emma made her decision and pushed open the door. She walked over to the bed hearing Graham's footsteps behind her. "This what you lookin' for?" she asks exasperatedly.

Picking up a paper that he's probably seen before because he is Henry's legal parent, he glances over at her. "Well, you're very accommodating." Putting the paper back on the bed, he turns to face Emma and says "I'm afraid, Miss. Swan, you're under arrest. Again." Reaching down, he grabs her wrist and secures a handcuff on it.

"You know I'm being set up, don't you?"

"And who may I ask, is setting you up?" he asks as he secures the other cuff to her other wrist.

* * *

"Jia!" Adrianna calls from inside her office. She glances at the clock on the far wall and reachs beneath her desk for her heels. Bracing her hand on the desk, she slippes on one heel as she hears footsteps nearing her office.

"Yes?" a voice asks and Adrianna looks up to see Jia pop her head in. Jia's black hair is in a messy bun at the top of her head and her brown eyes are framed by thick mascara enhanced lashes. She wears jeans and a loose fitting long sleeved shirt that hangs off her slender frame even though the weather is still quite warm. Right now, the young woman is barefoot but Adrianna knows that the flip flops she wore everyday were probably in her small office down the hall. The Daycare Adrianna runs has two floors; the first floor is all for the kids and the upper floor is where the adults all have their offices. The offices are mostly for the purpose of personal belongings and for a little break when it's needed. Adrianna's office is the most active with the bills and the medical forms for the kids, etc.

"I have that appointment with Dr. Hopper today and in case you forgot, I had asked you yesterday to just take over for a bit. Make sure things run smoothly and whatnot." Adrianna tells the woman of Chinese descent.

Jia smiles and laughs. "Everyone here should know how to run this place. After all we've done it enough times."

Adrianna slips on the other heel and stands up straight. "I'm sorry."

"I don't mind at all," Jia admits. "None of us do. Working here is so nice, as long as you like kids. You have a kind, flexible boss, work with kids, arts and crafts, decent pay. You built a good business, Adrianna."

"Thank you," Adrianna smiles gratefully at Jia and she shifts around junk on her cluttered desk trying to find her phone. "Great," she mutters as papers fall onto the floor. Even her favorite color of the bright powder blue that covers the walls can't perk her up. "I'm going to be late!" she exclaims and Jia steps forward to help her. Suddenly, ringing erupts in the room and the two women stop for a minute. Locating the source of the sound, Adrianna digs through all the junk until her hand closes around her phone. She misses the times of flip phones, how you could just flick your wrist and it wouldopen and close. But nowadays she has the latest model. Nothing less for the Mills women as her mother always said. Looking at the screen, she sees the face of her sister looking back at her. "Jia, could you step out for a minute. The Mayor is calling and you know you can't ignore a call from the Mayor." Adrianna says sarcastically.

"Especially when she's your sister," Jia chimes in before she steps out and closes the door to give her extra privacy.

"Zelena, I don't really have the time for this. I'm already going to be late for my session with Dr. Hopper." Adrianna says right after hitting the answer button.

"Is that anyway to greet your sister?" Zelena answers back. After hearing Adrianna give an annoyed huff on the other end Zelena tells her. "Your session is cancelled."

"What?"

"You are to meet me in my office at the same time you were supposed to have your session. It's urgent, Adrianna. I rescheduled your appointment for the same time tomorrow; it was no problem at all." Dr. Hopper was one of the only therapists the small town had, and he was praised as the best. He was probably booked through the week at the least. But no one says no to Mayor Mills. She feels bad for his other appointment that he had to reschedule to make room for her because her sister just decided to cancel it at the last minute.

"Zelena―"

"Do you really think I would be doing all this if it wasn't important?" Zelena interrupts her harshly.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Adrianna promises. There was no point arguing with Zelena when she would have just lost anyway. Adrianna hangs up and opening the door Adrianna calls out to Jia. "My session's been cancelled, but I have to go meet Zelena. Apparently it's very urgent. She also rescheduled my appointment for tomorrow at the same time. Can you cover for me tomorrow as well now? Please?"

"Of course," Jia puts a hand on Adrianna's arm. "Whatever you need… as long as it shows up in my paycheck," Jia jokes.

Adrianna laughs. "You work so hard I think I can make that happen. After all you were such a good sport when little Zachary ruined your extra shirt by cutting it up," Adrianna laughs at the memory.

"It was my extra shirt for after the arts and crafts session because I knew it would be messy. The first day I was actually prepared so I wouldn't walk around in painted splattered clothes all day and Zach thought my shirt was the paper cause it was white!" Jia exclaims while laughing. "Then after that, I went to help Beatrice and her hands were covered in sticky glue. She wanted to mess with my hair and it took me such a long time to wash the glue out!" Adrianna and Jia erupted in fits of laughter.

"Okay…Okay," Adrianna says between peals of laughter as she tries to get herself together again. "I better hurry to Zelena or she'll turn into a real witch," Adrianna giggles. Grabbing her purse she dashes out the door with one more goodbye and thank you to Jia.

* * *

Zelena looks up from her desk as she hears a knock on the wooden doors. A smile creeps onto her face because she knows who it is. "Come on in, sis," she invites loudly to make sure she can hear. The doors open and Adrianna walks into the office with both her hands holding her purse in front of her. Looking up, Zelena notices her hair looks a bit mussed up and her fingers twist and fidget on the handles of her purse. Signs of nervousness, of weakness. How pathetic. But her back is ramrod straight, shoulders down and back, long neck with her head held high, and a schooled expression on her face. Zelena's natural instinct is to look for flaws in Regina (she's Adrianna here of course), Cora's favorite daughter just because she was born of true royal blood. Zelena turns her attention back to the document on her desk. "Did you manage to look in a mirror before you left?" she asks.

"You're not mother, Zelena," Adrianna reminds her.

"No, I'm not. Lucky for you," she comments as her eyes flicker up to the younger woman. "Mussed hair and fidgety fingers. Mother would have had a punishment for that."

"Yeah," Adrianna says thickly, looking down as the fake memories of the past the curse created flood her mind. "she hated even one hair out of place. And signs of nervousness," she lets out a chuckle. "she'd say Mills women don't get nervous."

"She would," Zelena agrees as she finishes scrawling a signature on the paper and setting it off to the side. She settles her eyes on Adrianna taking special care to make sure no emotion bleeds into them.

"Are you going to tell me why I'm here?" asks Adrianna after Zelena doesn't say anything for a long while. "I don't want to be any later returning to the daycare than is necessary. I'm already missing story time."

"I have some news for you. Some bad news. I think you should sit down." Zelena says as she gestures for her to pull up a seat in front of her desk.

"What is it?" Adrianna asks nervously as she drags a chair across the tile. The office has one rolling office chair that Zelena occupies behind her desk for the work day. Overall the office is a very big place. One area of the office has a sitting place with couches and chairs facing each other. In between is a long table and on it sits a bowl filled with green apples. Adrianna pulled one of the chairs from over near the sitting area even though Zelena could have made it easier if they both just moved to the sitting area to talk. But she knows that Zelena likes to sit behind her desk, a symbol of her power. She settles herself into her chair, making sure her posture doesn't drop. The chairs in the office aren't exactly created for comfort, more to match the feel and design of the office. Honestly, the office was the same way when Mother was mayor. Adrianna remembered the office clearly. Black and white and so cold, especially with her mother behind the very same desk her sister resides behind right now. Mother loved to decorate the office, adding unnecessary baubles just to boast that she had plenty of money to burn. Zelena kept things mostly the same; she always wanted to be just like their mother. Mother had wanted Adrianna to be successor in the office, but she had no interest in being mayor. That was the main point of controversy between Mother and her. Although they never got along. _Your hair is too long dear, it gets hard to keep in place and looks so childish. You should get a more mature haircut. Stop slouching! Head up high dear, look the world straight in the eye. A 98? Clearly you didn't study enough. You know my expectations. All or nothing. The in-between, the some, it isn't good enough. You are a Mills, Regina, act like one! You will show me respect in my house, do you hear me? Really, Regina? Connor Hanaldi? You could do so much better dear. Did you really think you could keep a secret from your mother? I really thought I would get a daughter who was more. You disappoint me, Regina. _

"Adrianna," Zelena snaps a bit impatiently as she realizes her sister has zoned out. Zelena's voice snaps Adrianna out of her less-than-pleasant trip down memory lane.

"Sorry," Adrianna offers a tight smile as she crosses her legs. "what did you call me for?"

"Emma Swan, that woman Henry brought back." Zelena says straight to the point, again just like mother.

"You mean his birth mother?" Adrianna asks raising her eyebrows in question.

"The woman who abandoned him? Then yes we're talking about the same woman." Zelena says coolly. A sigh escapes Adrianna as she shakes her head slightly.

"You don't know why she gave up Henry. Zelena, you have no right to judge her."

"I have every right! She barges into our lives and thinks she can take your son away from you!" Zelena exclaims, her voice rising with every word and boarding on hysterical. A vein had popped out from her fit of rage, pulsing on her pale forehead.

"Zelena," Adrianna says in a soft voice. "calm down."

Zelena takes a deep breath to calm herself, and folds her hands on the desk in composure. "Plus, Zelena you don't even know what she's here for. My son was the one who invaded her life and dragged her all the way here. I was the one who gave her alcohol before she drove. And now she's been here a little bit and gotten to be around Henry, she probably just wants to stay around him a little longer. Henry steals people's hearts, you know that," Adrianna tries reasoning with the stone woman in front of her.

"I do know that, but I also know something you don't, my dear sister," a smirk graces Zelena's face as she leans back in her chair. She looks so smug that it makes Adrianna nervous. Smug Zelena was never a good thing.

"And what may that be?" Adrianna asks after clearing her throat. She took special care to make sure her voice had mild curiosity but nothing else. _Don't let them know what you're feeling, Regina. That gives them an advantage. _

"Emma Swan has been arrested," Zelena replies causally. Adrianna couldn't help her reaction then; she unfolds her legs, placing them both firmly on the tile floor. Her brown eyes widen and she starts wringing her hands in an agitated motion. "Or so I was told," Zelena continues after a few seconds of studying Adrianna's reaction. "by your lovely husband."

Now Adrianna's getting pissed. "And pray tell what she was arrested for?"

"She got in a fight with Dr. Hopper, can you believe? The kindest, most mild soul in this town and she managed to get him riled up and engaged in an argument. She wanted to see Henry's file. Naturally, he told her no. Patient confidentially and all that. So then Miss. Swan left. She came back later and stole the file herself. Tell me, Adrianna, is that the kind of woman you want around your son?"

"She stole the file?" Adrianna asks suspiciously, something here wasn't matching up.

"Yes, when Graham came to check out the accusations she was looking at it."

"Right. So she comes to a new town and her first move is to steal is that right? And she didn't try to hide the file. No, instead she opened the door and it was just… what? Lying there out in the open? If you commit a crime you try to hide it, cover it up, not get caught and thrown in prison!" Adrianna's voice rises just like Zelena's had earlier as her mind reels, the cogs inside turning round and round rapidly. "You didn't like her from the moment Henry said she was his birth mother. You were putting up a polite front! Trust me, I know. Everything mother taught you to do, she taught me too. I know how to read you. You want her gone! You set this up!" At this point, Adrianna had gotten up and was full on shouting. A disgusted noise erupts from the back of her throat as she takes a moment to cool down. "Did you really think I wouldn't see right through your ruse? You've sunk so low, Zelena. You hold so much power, you think you're so high up, but you don't realize just how much farther you have to sink when you possess that power. It's a long way down, Zelena, when you're alone. I truly thought you were better than this. Don't be expecting family dinners or to be spending time with Henry any time soon. I just thought―" Adrianna cuts off, closes her eyes and shakes her head. When she opens them, she looks to the ceiling before she can force her gaze to Zelena. And the redhead, she just sits there, looking undeterred from Adrianna's words. "Cora Mills' daughter through and through," Adrianna whispers before turning her back and marching out of the office.

* * *

(The Enchanted Forest in another lifetime)

Zelena is winded as she reaches the place that the troll rocks reside. It was quite the trek, but she is sure that it will be worth it. Around her are big, round rocks with moss covering parts of the outside. This is without a doubt the right place, Zelena can feel their magic like she'd be able to sense dark and light magic if that were around as well. "Hello?" she calls out. Now that she's here, she's not quite sure what to do. "I need help!" she shouts. "Please!" As far as she had read, the troll rocks helped people, like _heroes. _Heroes just couldn't resist a call for help. Or maybe they could. Nothing was happening, no one was coming out to help her. _No! This is vital to my plan! I need these trolls! _Right as she opened her mouth to try and call for help again, she saw one of the rocks start to shake. Then after a few moments, it rolled toward her. When it got close, it unfurled itself to reveal the troll it had been hiding within its disguise. It was small unlike other bridge trolls were. The features were literally carved out of stone, but they didn't look unkind. It seemed to have some sort of moss cape over its shoulders and a green tunic on its tiny body. On top of its head it looked as if someone had pulled out a bunch of grass and stuck it on top. Grass also seemed to make some sort of collar for its cape. Thick mossy eyebrows resided over eyes that looked the same as a regular human's. Strong power radiated off of this one. Zelena never thought she'd be struck breathless after everything in her life, and certainly not by something like a troll rock. But there was just something about it, a certain wonder in the creature that was before her now.

"Hello, child," he greeted in a kind and soothing voice. "I assume you're looking for him. No one else is around, dear."

Swallowing, Zelena nodded. "Yes, I was looking for a certain kind of help. I was combing through books when I came across mentions of you. I hoped you could help me. You see―"

"I know why you're here." The troll interrupted her. "You have pure intentions to change your life, to make a better future for yourself. But you possess dark intent to ruin the lives of so many others. I can help you, as long as you use my gift in the way of light." The troll tells Zelena solemnly.

Sucking in a breath of shock, Zelena stands there dumbstruck. She hadn't counted on the troll knowing why she was there. She couldn't just 'use his gift in the way of light'. No. She had worked too hard to get here, worked too hard on her revenge to give it up now. She couldn't, but she just had to be convincing enough to fool the troll. Looking down upon the magical rock creature, Zelena nods.

"No, child," the troll says sadly. "you have no intention to give up your ill-fated revenge." The troll sighs as Zelena's heart drops. "But maybe if I give you what you desire, you will change your mind. I can see how far you are willing to go to fulfill your wishes of revenge, not giving you what you need will only stall you, not stop you. There will be no destruction or blood spilled on this day. Maybe a gift given of hope and goodness will convince you to become that way yourself." _Doubt it,_ Zelena thinks with a smirk. The troll was a fool, handing her what she needed when he knew her intentions. But then again, maybe not. He was right, Zelena wasn't going to give up. Whatever it takes, and sometimes as far as it takes can get messy. This troll could be smarter than she thought. "Here child," the troll says, interrupting her thoughts. The former Wicked Witch crouches down to the level of the troll. While she was distracted, the troll had created something from their special brand of magic. It looked like a small rose gemstone, a pretty, dusty, rose color. "It will do what you wish. Crush it and blow its powder. It will travel on the wind and change the memories of the people you wish it too. But be warned, those who already know the truth will not be affected."

"Thank you," Zelena says sincerely to the troll. "I promise that this will used to better a life."

"Your life," the troll states. "You will better your life. Then, you will ruin others."

Zelena says nothing as she straightens her legs. She turns on her heel and starts the long trip down the mountain.

* * *

(In the Enchanted Forest in another lifetime)

Months! Torturous months of hiding out while her mother's stomach swelled with her inside. Then the screaming. God, her eardrums were ringing. But after all that screaming came the wails of a newborn child. Zelena had been born and the time was coming. The full-grown Zelena lurks outside the small cottage Cora had taken refuge in to give birth. Not much later, Cora walks out with her face shrouded by a ragged brown cloak, casting nebulous shadows on her face. Her skirts are riddled with holes and caked with dirt and dust. But in one hand she carries a basket with a baby inside. The basket contrasts Cora and her appearance. The basket is made of clean white brown wood woven together. Inside, the baby is wrapped in a fuzzy gray blanket with single emerald green ribbon wrapped around it and tied in a bow. The baby's head and arms poke out of the blanket and a little white hood is pulled over the child's head. Zelena's mother walks deep into the woods as the sun is setting. Once they reach the very heart of the woods, Cora stops and puts down the basket. She kneels down to her baby and says to her, "Poor babe, life is cruel and full of betrayal. That is my only lesson for you. Now I must give you away, to give me my best chance. As long as I have you I can never be anything more than a miller's daughter," Zelena hears her mother's voice as it floats over to where she is hiding. Those were the only words her mother ever said to her, and they weren't even kind. Her mother wanted to give herself her best chance, not Zelena. Suddenly, Zelena feels a traitorous tear working its way down her cheek. Hastily she wipes it away. She had seen this all before in the endless hours spent spying on Regina and the moment her mother gave her up. The time to act was now as baby Zelena's wails rose and Cora was standing back up.

Zelena whispers an incantation and the wind picks up slightly where she is and drifts toward her mother as she starts to walk away from her firstborn. "Don't give her up," Zelena whispers and it carries on the wind to her mother's ears. Peeking out from the tree, Zelena watches as her mother halts. "You could use her later. Give her to someone to take care of and raise. Then, when the time comes you can make use of her. If that time never comes, you can leave her in the charge of someone else," Zelena whispers. "She could help when you secure power," some people's weakness was love but Cora's one true love would always be selfish power. Zelena's watchful eyes track her mother as she slowly turns on her heel. Cora starts to scan the forest around her and Zelena plasters pulls herself behind a large tree and plasters herself to the rough bark.

"My poor babe," Zelena hears Cora say and she sticks her head around the tree again. "I have been given an omen. Your life has been saved as you could one day be of use to me," Cora is once again kneeling by the basket. She grabs the two handles, stands, and heads back toward where she came. Zelena follows at a safe distance until Cora almost reaches the village she calls home. Nestled in the trees just out of sight of her village is the place where the midwifes live and where Cora gave birth. The privacy would be valued by anyone who came for their services. Zelena watches her mother walk the door and knock. Dim light spills out onto the forest floor as the door opens and a middle-aged woman with a scarf wrapped around her head answers. Whispers fill the night air while crickets and other night creatures decide to join the conversation. Gestures are made to the tiny being in the basket and after minutes of conversing, the woman at the door gently takes the basket with Zelena and backs into the cottage. When the door closes on Cora's face, she walks back the village to continue her life as the Miller's daughter.

* * *

(In the Enchanted Forest in another lifetime)

More waiting and watching. Honestly, it was probably the most boring thing Zelena had done. Boring….until the day Cora went to deliver flour to the palace and was tripped by Princess Eva. Seeing them make Cora kneel made Zelena's blood boil and wish she had killed Eva that fateful day she changed her plans. She watched her mother as she stole a dress and pilfered a mask for the ball at the palace. Then she met Prince Henry, Regina's father. After that, Cora was discovered by King Xavier. Then her mother had to go and make her outlandish claim about spinning straw into gold. Zelena knew that the only thing she changed about Cora's life was that she had tucked her firstborn daughter away somewhere. So this was how things were supposed to go and Zelena was curious to see how this played out. The answer turned out to be obvious. The man who orchestrated everything, Rumplestiltskin. It disgusted her as she realized her mother fell for him. But yet again, so did see. His sheer power and darkness was alluring. Zelena saw how smart her mother was when she got Rumple to teach her how to spin straw into gold instead of having him do it all for her. But planning to stay faithful to Rumple and switching the deal was stupid. Although, Cora promised Rumple her firstborn and that was Zelena. For one alarming moment, Zelena thought Regina was secretly Rumple's child. But then she would have been powerful enough to beat Zelena, and she quickly dismissed that notion. Cora demonstrated her wit again when she ripped out her own heart and chose power over a life of life with Rumple. Then she cleverly worked her way out of her contract. Probably the only stupid deal that Rumple ever made in his life. Then came the day when Regina was born. Cora was dressed in an elaborate layered blue dress. Jewels adorned her neck and ears and her hair was pinned in an up-do with a tiara resting on top. Baby Regina was dresses in a white outfit and cradled in Cora's arms, something Zelena never was. But this was the final step to Zelena's plan. Enchanting herself to be invisible, Zelena climbed up on the dais while holding a basket had encased baby Zelena. Zelena had crushed the rock the Rock Troll gave her a while back and the powder is clutched tight in her hand. Zelena walks over to Prince Henry and puts the basket by his feet. Earlier, Zelena had visited the cottage where the women had been caring for her while Cora worked to climb up the social latter. After Zelena secured her baby self, she ripped out the women's hearts and crushed them. They were only small pawns on the much larger chess board, they wouldn't be missed. Besides, Zelena couldn't have the secret that Zelena wasn't of royal blood getting out. The only one who would know that at the end of the day would be Cora and Zelena herself. Back on the dais, Zelena opens her palms and blows the dust over everyone who gathered there. Then, she takes it a step further and calls her magic to distribute the dust everywhere it can. The world seems to freeze for a second as the dust floats over the people's head. The dust enters through the mouth and the nose and the irises of her victims glow a pale rose for a second. With her task completed, Zelena hurries off the dais just as time starts up again.

From this day forward everyone would believe that Zelena was the daughter of Prince Henry and Princess Cora. The firstborn daughter. Baby Zelena starts wailing at her 'father's' feet. Prince Henry looks down and scoops up Zelena with love in his eyes. He cradles the redheaded child and gently shushes her as King Xavier addresses Cora. "Princess Cora, please," starts the king as he guides her to the front of the dais in front of the crowd. The fake memories of Zelena being born as a royal were planted into Cora's head as well although she knew they were false. But her steps didn't falter as she stood tall in front of the crowd. An omen had told Cora to keep her daughter, that she would be useful. This must be her purpose and Cora doesn't care how it came to be. King Xavier speaks to Cora again. "Tell me, daughter, what's her name?"

"Her name is Regina. For one day she will be queen," Cora announces as she holds her daughter in front of the kingdom. Her subjects kneel in front of her, the Prince as well and the king bows.

Zelena holds a sour taste in her mouth hearing her mother say Regina will be a queen one day, but it is up to Zelena to change that in the future. Her work is done, all that is left is to get home and make sure she remembers.

* * *

(Storybrooke, present)

"You know the shrink is lying right?" Emma asks Graham as a flash from the camera momentarily blinds her.

"To the right please," Graham tells Emma and she obediently turns. "Why would he lie?"

"The Mayor put him up to this," Emma says like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "She must have something on him. He's terrified of her like everyone else in this town."

"To the left please," says Graham pointing his finger in that direction. Emma gives a bit of an eye roll but does what she is told. "Zelena may be a touch intimidating but I don't think she'd go as far as a frame job," Graham says shaking his head a bit.

"How far would she go? What does she have her hands in?"

"Well she's the mayor. She has her hands in everything."

"Including the police force?" Emma asks.

"She may be my sister-in-law, but I run my own department," Graham defends. Emma raises her eyebrow and Graham opens his mouth to respond to her look when a voice from behind interrupts him.

"Hey!" Henry exclaims as he runs into the building with his school uniform still on and his backpack on his back. Mary Margaret trails behind him at a slower pace.

"Henry?" Graham asks in shock. "Henry, what are you doing here?"

"His aunt told him what happened," Mary Margaret explains. Graham signs and runs a hand over his face.

"Zelena told him?" he directs the question at the school teacher.

"She came to the school and disrupted class to tell him," Mary Margaret confirms.

"Does Adrianna know?" Graham asks.

"I don't know."

"I have to talk with Zelena, she shouldn't have done that. At the very least telling Henry should have been Adrianna and my call," Graham says with a sigh.

"Of course Zelena would him what happened," Emma says throwing a pointed look at Graham as if that is solid evidence she is being framed. "Henry, I don't know what she said…" Emma starts trying to explain the situation to her son.

"You're a genius!" Henry exclaims as he cuts her off.

"What?" Emma asks, genuinely confused.

"I know what you were up to. You were gathering intel," Henry looks at Emma hoping she'll understand what he's hinting at. "for Operation Cobra."

"Sorry, I'm a bit lost," Graham confesses as he looks at the exchange between his adopted son and his son's birth mother.

"It's need to know, Dad and all you need to know is that Miss. Blanchard's gonna bail her out," Henry says. Emma feels her heart constrict a little bit when she hears Henry call Graham dad. Just one more good reason Emma gave Henry up, he would never have had a father if she had kept him. Suddenly, Henry's words sink in. Mary Margaret was going to bail her out. Before the blonde can question that fact, the all-too familiar click of heels resonates on the tile floor of the sheriff's office. So far Emma meet two people in town who seemed to be partial to heels: Adrianna and Zelena. Part of Emma hopes it's Zelena so she rub in the fact that 1) Henry doesn't believe what Zelena told him and 2) she's about to be bailed out. A punch to her face wouldn't be a bad idea either. Then again, her son was in the room and she was trying to build… something between them. Maybe she should leave out the punch, how disappointing. But any hopes of punching the red-headed mayor swiftly fled from Emma's mind as a slightly winded Adrianna round the corner. A professional looking beige coat was thrown on over her gray work dress but it wasn't buttoned up and instead flapped open as she inside the building.

"Graham," Adrianna calls hurriedly "did you arrest…." Adrianna trails off when she reaches the place where Emma, Graham, Henry, and Mary Margaret are gathered. She takes into account everyone who is present. "Henry? What… what are you doing here?" Adrianna asks and then her eyes land on Mary Margaret. "Mary Margaret? What is going on here?"

"Zelena told Henry about Emma's arrest," Graham tells his wife.

Emma examines Adrianna carefully for a reaction and sees the hand that isn't holding her purse curl into a tight fist. Her dark eyes harden and her face gets a bit red. "She did what?" Adrianna asks through gritted teeth, her rage showing through.

"I didn't know it either," Graham says gently, trying to get Adrianna to unwind. Adrianna seems to catch on to what Graham is trying to do. She takes a deep breath and then continues her questioning.

"Okay, so Zelena very inappropriately told our son she had Miss. Swan arrested. So why is here with his teacher?"

"I'm going to bail her out," Mary Margaret says matter-of-factly.

"You are?" Adrianna asks with surprise.

"Why?" Emma cuts in.

"I… uh trust you," Mary Margaret tells her after a bit of a stammer.

"Well, I was just coming to bail her out," Adrianna admits.

"You were?" Emma and Henry ask simultaneously. Henry's voice holds wonder and shock as he looks up at his mother with complete child-like happiness. Emma's voice holds incredibility. Two people have come to bail her out of jail.

"Why would you bail me out?" Emma asks the mayor's sister.

"Zelena told me what happened. But I don't believe you would do something like that."

"Why?"

"Henry steals hearts," Adrianna says while putting a hand on her son's shoulder affectionately and squeezing. She looks down at him with love-filled eyes before looking back up. "When I heard you decided to stay a bit longer in town I figured it was because Henry took your heart too. Then Zelena tells me that you fought with Dr. Hopper, stole a file on Henry, and was arrested by Graham. Why would you do that if you were sticking around for Henry? Zelena… she… " Adrianna looked like she was struggling with what she was trying to say. _It is a family matter, _thinks Emma, _it can't be easy. _"Well she always wanted to be just like our mother. Our mother wasn't kind or warm, not to anyone… even her own daughters. Cora Mills wasn't kind but she defended our family, she refused to let the Mills be torn apart. Zelena doesn't want you in our life because you're Henry's birth mother but I think she's wrong. Things are hard right now; maybe you're just what Henry needs. Maybe a change is what _everyone _needs."

Emma looks between the young woman with a pixie cut and the brunette with the soulful dark eyes. Somehow with barely knowing either of them, they trust her enough to believe she didn't steal the file. Trust is something that has been too absent in her life, on her side and others. But this town was different from anywhere else she had ever been. "Well," Emma says happily as she turns to the sheriff. "If you can uncuff me, I have something to do."

* * *

Zelena sits in her office working through the paperwork that has accumulated over a period of time. Unfortunately the boring stuff comes with the territory of ruling. But not even the banal job of paperwork can bring her mood down today. Emma Swan is shaking things up and Zelena knows the stakes are about to get higher. Framing Miss. Swan was the same thing Regina did when she was the queen who controlled the curse. Honestly, following what her sister did is boring her but she has to make Miss. Swan want to stay in Storybrooke before she can put her own actions in motion. Zelena remembers times in Oz of green skin, flying monkeys, and spying on Regina. The day Regina cast the curse Zelena got so riled up she put a hole in the wall of the Emerald Palace. It should have been her! _She _should be the one casting that curse! She vowed to herself that one day it would be her instead of her undeserving sister. When Regina went away to a Land Without Magic, Zelena thought her days of spying on her insipid younger half-sister were over. Turns out she couldn't be more wrong. She was able to spy on Regina in the Enchanted Forest from Oz and now she was able to see into the Land Without Magic. The first years of the curse were boring, the same things over and over and over and over again. Then the little boy Owen came to town. After that Regina adopted Henry. Zelena couldn't believe what an idiot her sister was. Love is weakness; she had seen their mother tell her that enough times. Regina didn't listen and decided to let weakness into her life. Rumplestiltskin told her before the curse that the only person who could break the curse was Emma Swan, Snow and Charming's daughter. Little did he know it was Regina who was the instrument of her own destruction by adopting Henry. Regina tried driving out Miss. Swan when she first came to town and that was her first mistake. Zelena has plans of her own, but she has to make sure Miss. Swan's not going anywhere.

At that moment, Zelena hears….revving outside? Zelena stands up and looks out the window right behind her desk. Emma Swan was out there taking a chainsaw to her apple tree. Regina's apple tree had been precious to her in the past and remains precious to her in this lifetime. Regina's father, Henry had given it to her and when Zelena 'joined the family' he gave her one to tend to as well but hers produced green apples. Zelena had formed a connection to that tree over the years; it was the only constant in her life. Hot, boiling rage wells up in Zelena and as Emma cuts off a branch she looks satisfied and turns toward the window to where Zelena is watching. Zelena dashes out her office to confront the blonde. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Picking apples," Emma says simply as she drops the chainsaw carelessly on the ground behind her.

"You're out of your mind."

"No, you are if you think a shoddy frame job's enough to scare me off. You're gonna have to do better than that. Come after me one more time and I'm coming back for the rest of this tree. Because, sister, you have no idea what _I_ am capable of," Emma Swan starts walking away from the Mayor calling back to her, "Your move."

Zelena remembers watching Regina interact with Miss. Swan. Regina had been out of the game for too long in the curse and she could tell that her fight with Emma exhilarated her. Zelena has to admit she feels a rush at the challenge presented by the blonde. _Game on._

* * *

Emma jingles her key into the lock of her room at Granny's. She feels relief at coming back here. It isn't home or anything, but for now it's hers. "Miss. Swan?" Emma turns in the doorway to see Granny behind her. "Oh my, this is terribly awkward. I need to ask you to leave," Granny says apologetically. _Well that didn't last long, _thinks Emma. "I'm afraid we have a no felons rule," Granny explains. "It turns out it's a city ordinance."

"Let me guess, the mayor's office just called to remind you?"

"You can gather your things but I need to have your room key back."

_Damn you, Zelena. _Emma holds out the key. Not the first time she's been without a proper roof over her head. Won't be the last either.

* * *

Outside her office, Zelena is on her knees on the ground beside the limb that Emma cut off of her tree. She reaches out and grabs a shiny green apple and places it in the basket beside her. Hearing faint footsteps behind her, Zelena looks back and sees her brother-in-law walking up to her. Letting out a breath Zelena jumps right to the chase. "She destroyed city property, I want her arrested."

"Again?"

"What are you waiting for?" Zelena demands impatiently.

"I'm just not convinced arresting her is the right plan. And I'm not talking about your tree. We both know she didn't steal those files."

"Oh, do we?" Zelena asks dangerously.

"I mean, she looked pretty shocked when I leveled the charges against her."

"It's because she doesn't like being caught."

" Or because she was set up. And if she was, that means Dr. Hopper was lying. And if he's lying, that means that someone asked him to. Are we really confident that the man's conscience won't eventually get the best of him?"

"I think your schoolboy crush is clouding your judgment. Remember I made you sheriff, I can take it away just as easily."

"Schoolboy crush? Really Zelena? We both know I am happily spoken for."

"Is that so? I wasn't aware you and my sister were sleeping in the same bed again."

Ignoring her jibe, Graham switches to something else. "Adrianna came by today. She found out you came to Henry's school and interrupted his classes to tell him about Miss. Swan's arrest. That wasn't your call Zelena."

"Wasn't it?" Zelena throws an apple into the basket forcefully and stands up to face Graham. "He is my nephew―"

"He's my son. It was our call to tell him, not yours. Adrianna and I are his parents, don't forget that."

Zelena scoffs at the little note of warning in Graham's voice. "I'm surprised Adrianna isn't here with you."

"I had to convince her to go back to work."

"That's a good idea, sheriff, maybe you should back to work too. Remember, city property was just destroyed. Or are you going to disobey your mayor?" Zelena steps closer in challenge.

"If you want me to arrest me again, I will."

Satisfied, Zelena turns and goes back on her knees to salvage her apples. "Good."

"But she's going to keep coming at you. And I know that you're going to keep coming at her and you will do whatever it takes to get her out of here and you may succeed."

"Miss. Swan isn't good for Henry, Graham. Mark my words."

"I know that's what you believe. But if this escalates, it seems to me the only one who will get hurt is Henry."

"If you're so concerned about it sheriff, then you fix it. You're his father after all," Zelena remarks sharply. Picking up her basket, Zelena marches toward her office signaling to Graham that the conversation is over.

* * *

Walking out of Granny's, Emma looks around to make a beeline for her beloved yellow bug. _Seriously? _Emma won't be going anywhere soon as she spots the hunk of metal weighing down her tire from across the street. Out of nowhere, Emma's cell rings and she looks down to see an unknown number. Sighing, Emma hits answer and brings it up to her ear. "Yeah?"

"Miss Swan, I'd be happy to continue demonstrating my power, but am I right in guessing your resolve to stay is only growing?" Zelena voice answers from the other side of the line and Emma doesn't even question how she got her number.

"You have no idea," she confirms

"Well then. I think it's time we made peace. Why don't you drive over to my office?" remembering what she had done to Emma's car as she hears her slam her car door, she adds, "Or walk, whatever suits you."

"I'd like to start by apologizing, Miss Swan," Zelena says as she walks across the office with a drink in her hand. Emma sits on one of the couches with her legs drawn up and her arms resting on them. When Zelena reaches a black chair across from her, she puts her drink on the table between them and sits.

"What?" Emma asks, not trusting the unstable woman at all.

"I just have to accept the reality that you want to be here."

"That's right. I do."

"And that you're here to take my nephew from me and my sister's son from her."

"Okay, let's be clear. I have no intention of taking him from anyone," maybe Zelena wasn't so crazy at all. Dr. Hopper said that she has tried to bring Henry close, _yeah then she framed you and landed you in jail. _Emma keeps in mind Adrianna's words from the station, Cora Mills had a heart of stone and that was the woman Zelena idolized.

"Well, then, what are you doing here?"

"I know I'm not a mother. I think that's pretty self-evident. But I did have him. And I can't help that he got in my head and I want to make sure he's okay. The more you try to push me out, the more I want to be here. Especially after seeing how troubled he is."

"You think he's troubled?" Zelena cocks her head.

"Well, he's in therapy. And I only got through a couple of pages of his shrink's notes before you had me arrested. But putting all that aside. He thinks everyone in this town is a fairy tale character."

"And you don't?"

"How can I? The poor kid can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality and it's only getting worse. It's crazy."

"You think I'm crazy?" Emma hears his voice before she sees him. _No, no, no, no!_ She whips her head around and sure enough Henry is standing there right outside the doors of the office. The reality of what Emma's done, of what Henry just heard, sinks in and shock keeps her rooted for a few seconds. Those few seconds are all a hurt Henry needs to dash out of the room. The toxic room filled with his sadistic aunt and his birth mother who just called him crazy.

"Henry…" Emma leaps off the couch in an attempt to stop him from leaving but she knows it's futile. She crossed the worst line and he doesn't want to hear another word she has to say.

"How long was he there?" Emma asks, still standing with her back facing Zelena. Realization is starting to creep in. This was never about trying to make peace, it was all about Henry hearing what she just said.

"Long enough," Zelena says smugly.

"You knew he would be here," Emma accuses as she turns back to the woman. But it isn't as much an accusation as a statement, she already knows the answer.

"Did I know that my nephew comes to my office every other Thursday at precisely 5:00pm so I can take him for dinner before his therapy session? Of course I did. I'm his aunt," Zelena raises her chin a bit, as if challenging Emma. _What was this woman's problem? _Thinks Emma. If anyone should be trying to get rid of her or run her out of town, she would think it would be Henry's adopted mom. Adrianna. But instead Adrianna wanted her to stay and Zelena was trying to get her to leave. She holds the fact that she is his aunt in such high regard, but she doesn't even realize that it means nothing. She isn't his mother, she isn't his father. She is his aunt that he has admitted to hating. His aunt that everyone is afraid of and her own sister practically called her souless. Emma's starting to agree with her. "Your move," Zelena tells her and she unfolds her arms from her lap and places them on the armrests.

"You have no soul. How in the hell did you get like this?" Zelena just stares back at Emma with icy eyes and Emma turns away and walks out of her office. _This is what you made me,_ Zelena screams in her head.

* * *

In a loft, Mary Margaret Blanchard sits at a desk illuminated by a desk light as she sews. Hearing a knock at the door, Mary Margaret places her sewing down and goes to answer the door. She is a bit apprehensive of whom it could be though, especially this time of day. Mary Margaret is well-like throughout the town (except for the Mayor) but doesn't exactly have really close friends who make house calls. Maybe once upon a time, but those times are gone. Not every fairy tale has a happy ending. Mary Margaret reaches the door and cautiously opens it. Peering around the door, she catches sight of none other than an agitated looking Emma Swan. "Hey," the blonde greets. "Just wanted to say thank you and, um, pay you back the bail money," she thrusts out a small orange envelope in front of her with the cash tucked inside. Mary Margaret takes it and holds it for a few moments. Oddly enough, this woman she barely knew paying her back bail money was one of the nicest things anyone has done for her in a long while. She holds it close to her and lets a grateful look come over her face. She nods appreciatively at and the blonde and after a few moments of awkward silence, Emma makes to leave.

"You look like you need to talk," Mary Margaret comments, stopping Emma in her tracks.

Once Emma's inside her comfy loft, Mary Margaret places a cup of coca in front of her. She goes back for a plate of cookies as Emma raises the cup to her lips and takes a sip. The familiar taste hits her tongue quickly. "Cinnamon?" She asks the other woman. She's never met so many people in one place that shared her taste of cinnamon and coca.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mary Margaret is suddenly struck with nerves. She wants Emma Swan to like her so badly, and she can't explain way. She takes the other seat at the table. "I should've asked. It's a little quirk of mine. Do you mind?"

"Not at all." Mary Margaret presents the plate of cookies and puts in where Emma can easily reach it. "Oh, thanks. When you bailed me out, you said that you trusted me. Why?" The question had when niggling in the back of Emma's mind ever since that moment. So many things had happened after that that pushed it to the back of her head but being with Mary Margaret brings it to the forefront and it comes bursting out.

Mary Margaret shifts in her seat and looks down at her coca for a moment. She seems to be searching for the answer right along with Emma but she speaks after a moment. "It's strange. Ever since you arrived here, I've had the oddest feeling like we met before. And, I know it's crazy," For most of her confession, Mary Margaret is looking down at her cup of coca as if it is the thing she's speaking to instead of Emma. She looks into Emma's eyes once, and Emma discovers that she trusts Mary Margaret too. Alarm bells start ringing in Emma's head, she is not one who trusts easily.

"I'm starting to re-evaluate my definition of crazy."

"For what it's worth, I think you're innocent."

"Of breaking and entering, or just in general?"

"Whichever makes you feel better," Mary Margaret says vaguely and teasingly as her lips curl into a smile.

Emma laughs but it quickly fades. "It doesn't really matter what anyone thinks I did or didn't do. I'm leaving," Mary Margaret isn't smiling anymore. "Thank you – for everything – but I think it's for the best. If I stay, Henry's only going to keep getting hurt," for some reason Emma wants Mary Margaret to understand and tell her it's okay.

"What happens if you go? I think they very fact that you want to leave, is why you have to stay. You care about him. Adrianna and Graham are trying but right now they are losing the war. Who will protect Henry if you won't?"

* * *

Henry sits at his session with Dr. Hopper. He had run straight here after he heard what Emma said. He wanted the comfort of his mother's arms, of Adrianna's arms but she was still working."Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Archie asks the boy. He feels like he failed him and his job miserably. "You know, that umbrella kind of is my good luck charm." Archie says gesturing to the umbrella in Henry's hands. Henry runs his small ten-year-old hands over the wooden handle. "Is that why you think I'm Jiminy Cricket?"

"I don't think you're anyone," Henry says without emotion. He sits and places the umbrella on the table in front of him. Archie looks at him worriedly and contemplates how to continue on. Just as he opens his mouth, the door to his room opens. Miss. Swan stands in the doorway.

"Miss Swan! Look, I can explain," ever since he help Mayor Zelena jail Emma, he has felt a heavy guilt weighing down his conscience. "The Mayor forced me to-"

"I know. Don't worry about it. I get it," Emma had a ember inside her chest and the mayor had stoked it into a fire. Adrianna and Mary Margaret had thrown wood on the fire and now it was raging. There was no way in hell Emma Swan was leaving this town now. Not when her son needed her. "Henry, I'm sorry," Emma brushes past the therapist and to the couch where her kid sits looking depressed.

"I don't want to talk to you," Henry informs her.

Archie speaks up. "Miss Swan, if she knew you were here-"

"To hell with her," Emma says fiercely, cutting off the therapist. Emma lowers herself until she is resting on her haunches near Henry's level. "Henry, there is one simple reason I stayed here. You. I wanted to get to know you."

"You think I'm crazy," Henry insists.

"No, I think the curse is crazy. And it is," Emma sighs. "But, that doesn't mean that it isn't true," Henry starts to uncurl from his shell a bit at this and looking at her for the first time since she barged in the room. "It is a lot to ask anyone to believe in, but there are a lot of crazy things in this world. So what do I know? Maybe it is true."

"But you told my aunt―"

"What she needed to hear. What I do know, is that if the curse is real, the only way to break it is by tricking the Evil Queen," at this point Henry is fully looking at her and she notices some of the light coming back into his eyes. "into thinking that we are non-believers. Cause that way, she's not on to us. Isn't that what Operation Cobra was all about?" Emma glances up at Archie who is looking down on the mother-son moment with a small smile and nodding. Henry starts smiling now. "Throwing her off the trail?"

"Brilliant!" Henry cries, his faith in his birth mother newly restored.

"I've read the pages and, Henry, you are right. They are dangerous. There is only one way to make sure that she never sees them again," Emma gets up, walks to the fireplace, unfurls the pages in her hands, and throws them into the fire. Emma watches as the fires curls around the page on top, the page with Prince Charming and baby Emma. Black sneaks into the edges and the flames lick the paper until it seems as if the fire is cradling baby Emma. Too soon though, the image is gone and blackness takes over and chars the pages. "Now we have the advantage," Emma stands up and throws her gaze over to her son.

Henry jumps off the couch and right into Emma with a hug. Pleasantly surprised, Emma bends to wrap her arms around him and return the gesture. "I knew you were here to help me."

"That's right, kid. I am. And nothing, not even a curse, is going to stop that."

* * *

(In the Enchanted Forest in another lifetime)

Zelena stands outside Rumplestiltskin's palace, the thing hulking and dark, a bit showy if you ask her. Yet again she lorded over Oz from the inside of the Emerald Palace in the Emerald City. Her mission is completed and it is time to head back to where she came from. The only problem would be getting in and out. Zelena had spent time in this place, even fancied calling it home once. She knows all the tricks and traps Rumple has set for unwanted visitors. She had combed over every inch of the palace possible when he was away, she knew where his potion was and she knew where the wand was. The wand would be in plain sight because Rumple just couldn't resist an opportunity to flaunt it. The potion would be a bit trickier but nothing she couldn't handle. Shifting her satchel across her chest for easier access, she opens the flap. Zelena learned one very important thing from all her years of wickedness; never travel between realms without imported magic. Grinning, Zelena pulled out her silver slippers; they had kept her from Rumplestiltskin once and it was time for them to do it again. With a wave of her hand, magic steals the slippers from her hands and slip them on her feet. Clicking her heels together would get her into Rumplestiltskin's palace faster but the magical barriers would keep her out. Robin Hood once stole an elixir from her, and he also stole the very wand Zelena needs. A simple thief could sneak past but magic was where the alarm bells started ringing. Securing the rest of her belongings in her satchel, Zelena starts down the hill toward the Palace.

The sun is dipping below the horizon by the time Zelena reaches the grand doors of Rumple's castle. She could go for the subtle approach, crawling through a small window into the room she needs. But she can sense the dark magic in the palace; the place was filled to the brim in it. Rumple collected many magical baubles but not all of them possessed dark magic. Despite all the magical knick-knacks Rumple obtained, they couldn't hide his presence. He is the most powerful being in his place and his 'souvenirs' couldn't cover that up. He's here. Zelena senses him. Going in through the window would work, but he would know she was there just the same as if she threw open his grand double doors and shouted "Honey I'm home!"

Rumple always did have a flair for the dramatic, but considering she's trying to steal from him, he may not be very appreciative. But Zelena was never one for doing things halfway. Using her magic, Zelena gives a powerful push and the double doors to Rumple's palace swing open. And there, leaning against a finely furbished table was the man (or monster) himself, Rumplestiltskin. "I was wondering when you'd show up, dearie," Rumple says with a smile. "I sensed your magic on the hill, powerful stuff. I thought you'd just poof yourself in here, but instead you walked," he faked an expression of disgust. "And easily sidestepped all my magical defenses," Rumple face was now deadly serious and Zelena could see the threat glimmering in his eyes. "Now how you could you possibly do that?"

Zelena regards the man in front of her as her one hand slithers into her satchel. She says nothing for a few moments and her hand carefully digs through her satchel. Finding her prize, Zelena grips it and works the bag loose to reach what's concealed inside. Zelena looks Rumple in the eye, tilts her head, and smiles. "Just luck I guess," Then she pulls out her hand and throws the powder in the Dark One's face. Rumple simply puts his hand up, stopping the powder on its trip.

"Really, dearie?" he asks with a laugh. "You thought you could put the Dark One to sleep with poppy powder?"

"Worth a try," Zelena shrugs before crossing her arms in front of her and disappearing in a cloud of smoke. When she lands, she ends up in front of what looks like a medieval version of a shelving unit. Potions galore rest upon the wooden slats with little holes for the bottoms to rest in. Frantically, Zelena searches for the potion she needs. Underneath each potion lies a carving as a label. Absently, Zelena sees the heart carving. _Rumple hasn't managed to bottle true love yet. _Zelena thinks. _Of course not! _A voice says in Zelena's mind. _He only does that with the help of Snow and Charming. _How annoying. She could have easily disposed of it if it were here. Then Rumple wouldn't be able to add true love to the curse. Then… there would be no savior. But apparently luck was not on her side. With the potion and the owner of the castle. Zelena sees the first thing she needs and stuffs it in her satchel. Just as she spies the object of her desire, the final puzzle piece, and grabs it, Rumple appears in front of her without the parlor trick of smoke accompanying him. He grabs her wrist, the one with the vial clenched in her hand.

"Did you think you could escape from me in my own home?" Rumple sneers. At a standstill, Zelena stares at the man while her hand tightens around the vial. She itches to click her heels together and extract herself from this sticky situation but she doesn't want to reveal her trump card just yet. Rumple's eyes seem to darken dangerously as something new pops up in his mind. "But you seem to know your way around quite well, dearie. Why is that?"

"You're smart and have all the voices of every Dark One in that pretty little head of ours to assist you if you can't figure it out. Take a wild guess, _dearie_," Zelena challenges. Rumple doesn't say a word and keeps starting at her through eyes narrowed into slits. "Need more help? A certain miller's daughter got married recently, there's a new development in that story, you should go check it out,"

"How do you know about that?" his voice is deep and dark, reminding Zelena just how dangerous this man is. His grip on her wrist tightens and his long, grimy, black nails cut into Zelena's pale flesh.

"You don't see the resemblance?" Zelena asks him innocently.

"That's not possible," Rumplestiltskin hisses.

"Not unless I'm from the future."

"But time travel hasn't been done yet , dearie."

"Well, it seems that ship has sailed hasn't it?" Zelena sneers at the man in front of her. Looking at her in shock, Rumple's grip on her wrist slackens. "I'm from the future, and if you don't help me you'll never see your son again."

"What do you know of my son?" Rumple hisses, tightening his grip again and Zelena thinks that his nails might leave little scars on her wrist.

"I know his name is Baelfire. I know that you are planning to enact a curse, the Dark Curse, in hopes of reuniting with him. I know that this curse can only be cast by a daughter of Cora."

"This is all just speculation, part of my plans, but I haven't _done _it."

"You will and you will succeed. But I need your help,"

"You need my help?" Rumple asks with a maniacal giggle and a smile in place. "If I help you, answer my one question; do I find my son?"

"Yes," Zelena answers him without missing a beat.

"Bae," Rumple breathes, his eyes full of hope. "I find Bae. How?" he demands. But before the redheaded witch can produce an answer, Rumple holds up his finger. "No, don't tell me. If I succeeded, I don't want anything in my head that might throw it off."

"There's just one problem with that," Zelena admits. Rumple's eyes narrow. "He dies," she confesses, forcing empathy into her voice. Rumple's eyes widen and his face drops. "That's why you need to help me, I changed the past, so you can save your son."

"How?" he asks desperately.

"I can't tell you, because you need to forget everything I just told you." Zelena looks away from Rumple and focuses on the vial in her hand. "You have to drink this," she tells him, indicating to the vial, a memory potion. "You have to forget everything I just told you, because you might try changing the future to save your son and end up making it worse. I have magic; I just need to use a powerful fairy's wand. I know you have it and I can recreate the portal that brought me here and go back to the future where I belong. But it will be in vain if you don't drink this," Zelena pleads with Rumple and brings her eyes back to his. All her life, Zelena suffered. Unwanted, misunderstood, wicked. This was her chance to change all that. To erase all that pain and inflict it on the ones who deserved it. Rumple would never let her go unless he believed her, unless he believed she wanted to change things for the better. She had to let her defenses down. Zelena's ice colored eyes flickered to the floor and back up to Rumple's. When they stare into his eyes, tears shine in them and raw pain pulses from somewhere deep inside her. "Please," she begs.

"Why would you do anything to help me?" Rumple asks suspiciously.

"Because you once helped me. You helped me find who I was. I know how your son feels, to be abandoned by the one person who was supposed to always love you. He doesn't deserve what I got," Zelena voice is thick, every word that comes out of her mouth, truthful. For a few more tense moments, Rumple holds onto her and then lets go. With a whirl of his hand and a puff of smoke, the wand Zelena needs appears in his hand.

"This wand?" he asks as he places it flat on his palms out towards her. Zelena nods, a tear trailing down her cheek. This was it, the final step, getting home. She was about to get everything she deserved. Zelena cautiously reaches her hand out and takes the wand from him. In return, she places the memory vial in his hand. Walking to the center of the room, Zelena concentrates and the wand lights up. Feeling Rumple's eyes on her the whole time, Zelena waves the wand until a huge sucking portal materializes in the center of the room. Taking a vial from her satchel, the one she had taken from Rumple first, she quickly tips it back and downs the liquid. A remembering potion to ensure that while she changed her past for the better, she wouldn't forget her old past. She would still be able to punish those responsible for her misery. Zelena tucks the empty bottle away. Turning around, Zelena looks at Rumple. Rumple raises the vial to his lips, her cue to leave. Turning around, Zelena drops the wand on the floor before jumping through the portal to another lifetime.

* * *

**So what do you guys think? Tell me with reviews, which I love!**

**Also, just so people know, I know it might seem like Adrianna had a radical personality change from the previous chapter to this one, but there is a reason. I hope everyone can gather that in Storybrooke, Adrianna, Zelena, Graham, and Henry aren't one big happy family. Zelena's relationship with Adrianna here had always been kind of sour, her misery in the curse. But she was still complacent to her sister's power, also part of the curse. But now Emma's arrived in town. The Savior has a big effect on everyone and things are starting to change, even this early. The curse has been weakened and some of Regina's true self is starting to show through, but rarely and at random times. So just a quick explanation for you!**

**Thanks again to DracoWombat for your review! DraceWombat: As you can see, this was basically episode two of season 1 with a few tweaks from me. Here, I don't get into Zelena's NEW backstory, just how she changed the past. But trust me, I will be delving into that. Also, as you can see here, Regina still grew up with Cora and her father, Henry. And in Storybrooke, Adrianna adopted Henry and thus was able to name him after her father. Because all the people have memories of their pasts, just disfigured memories. Adrianna's past is a little more clear than others because it is also Zelena's past. They are tightly intertwined. She has memories of Cora and Henry, just obviously fake ones set in Storybrooke. So Adrianna's son, Henry is still named in honor of Adrianna's beloved father, Henry. As for Mr. Gold, well you can see that when she went back to the past, she didn't convince her younger self not to love him. Remember, Zelena is sort of insane. So I made it as she still loves Rumplestiltskin and because of that she gave him a powerful position in town. After all, why would she want to have the man she loves suffering? (although, she did kill his son and revel in his misery, so...). Did Zelena or Regina marry Snow's father? You will find out later. And as for David's coma... I started the first chapter very much like the show. The curse is coming, Charming is stabbed and dying when Snow stumbles in a holds him. Zelena comes in, taunts her and the curse whisks them away. But remember that in the show, David was also stabbed and dying before the curse and ended up in a coma. I have explanations that will be uncovered later in the chapters. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that this cleared some things up for you! Thanks for the review!**


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